Latest news with #MassapequaHighSchool
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Trump's education secretary threatens federal civil rights lawsuit over Long Island high school being forced to ditch Chiefs mascot
She's going to the mat for the Chiefs. President Trump's Secretary of Education Linda McMahon is threatening to bring a civil rights case against the Empire State for forcing a Long Island high school to ditch its Native American mascot. The former WWE promoter called the New York Board of Regents' 2023 decision to ban Massapequa High School's beloved 'Chiefs' nickname a 'violation' of Title VI of the federal Civil Rights Act during a visit to the school Friday. If the state doesn't reverse course and allow the Chiefs and their feathered headdress logo to remain, McMahon said she would refer the issue to the Justice Department to pursue. 'That's how serious we are about it,' McMahon said inside the high school's gym after touring classrooms and telling students, 'it's a real pleasure to be in a room full of Chiefs.' She claimed New York was targeting the Chiefs, while allowing other schools with names like Vikings or Dutchmen to remain. 'If you look at the states, you've got the Huguenots, we've got the Highlanders, we've got the Scotsman. Why is that not considered in any way racist?' she asked. While McMahon and the local supporters defended the name, state officials said they were 'doing the students of Massapequa a grave disservice by ignoring the facts and true history of the local Indigenous people.' State Education Department spokesperson JP O'Hare criticized that the town has 'failed to get even the most basic facts right' — such as the feathered headdress that Massapequa displays being locally inaccurate, and that the term chief was not used in the area, either. 'And most importantly, there is no recognition of the ways in which European settlers were responsible for displacing Indigenous people from their homes,' O'Hare's statement said, adding that 'local Indigenous representatives' find that 'certain Native American names and images perpetuate negative stereotypes, and are demonstrably harmful to children.' 'Equally troubling is the fact that a U.S. Secretary of Education would take time out of her schedule to disrupt student learning in the name of political theatre.' Massapequa school board president Kerry Wachter rebutted, saying, 'They're sticking to their talking points and listening to only one side of the story.' She pointed to a 2016 poll which showed nine in 10 Native Americans do not take offense to terms like 'Redskins.' Trump, who posed with a Massapequa shirt in the Oval Office, ordered McMahon to take up the issue in April. The federal government became involved after a plea from Wachter, whose district, among other Native American-named towns on Long Island, unsuccessfully sued New York over the mandate. 'This is a school that really takes its education seriously, and they're incredibly, incredibly behind their school, behind their Chiefs,' McMahon told The Post Friday. 'I think this is wrong — what's happening at Massapequa, to take away this incredible mascot and emblem of Chiefs.' After Trump intervened, O'Hare said in a statement that Massapequa 'did not reach out to Indigenous leaders or engage with the Department's Mascot Advisory Committee to determine whether its Native American team name and mascot would be permissible.' 'If members of the Massapequa board of education are genuinely interested in honoring and respecting Long Island's Native American past, they should talk to the Indigenous people who remain on Long Island,' the rep said. 'Our regulations, in fact, specifically permit the continued use of Native American names and mascots if approved by local tribal leaders.' But Massapequa School District Superintendent Dr. William Brennan called the state's claim 'simply inaccurate.' He added that 'several attempts' were made by the district and local tribal leaders attended a roundtable in summer of 2023. Frank Black Cloud, a leading member of the Native American Guardians Association, which is working with Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman on the issue, is a firm supporter of keeping names like Chiefs in schools and calls it a term of endearment. 'People want to emulate you,' Black Cloud, who has previously defended names like Fighting Sioux and Redskins, said at the event. 'You're talking about strength, talking about being something that people uphold.' Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor Joseph Saladino, an MHS alumnus and hockey player, doubled down that this is a case of 'rules for thee but not for me' in the Empire State. 'The New York State Department of Education has someone who is the chief of staff,' he said. 'Are they going to change their name?' Massapequa's suit — a last-ditch effort to stop the district's nine schools from spending $1 million on a forced rebranding — was, ironically, dismissed by a chief justice weeks ago, Wachter explained. Salt in the wound, Seaford, the first town west of Massapequa, along with Port Washington, named their teams the Vikings, to no objection from the state of New York. Hofstra University in Nassau was previously known as the Flying Dutchmen as well. 'They have Spartans and Vikings and all these things, but they're seeing this particular group of people who are not allowed to be represented,' said Wachter, whose district also filed an amended court complaint ahead of a June deadline. 'That's a civil rights issue … We're standing tall, showing Massapequa pride, and we do take offense to them trying to take it away from us.' The town will be having a 'Save the Chiefs' fundraiser next weekend at the high school, and Black Cloud will engage in a Native American seminar at Massapequa's popular Nautilus Diner on Saturday. 'We're about education, not eradication,' said Black Cloud, who flew from his North Dakota home to meet McMahon. 'If you have an opposing idea, let me hear it. I'd like to open up a dialogue with you.'
New York Post
a day ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Republicans roast Democrats in trying to ban ‘Chiefs,' Native-American mascots in NY schools
Republicans are planning to attack their Democratic opponents over New York's effort to force Massapequa to drop its Chiefs mascot as part of a ban on Native-American imagery in school logos. The GOP sees the mascot controversy as another example of Democratic-run Albany pushing fringe issues, and wants them to pay a political price for it. 'We have a lot of chiefs in volunteer fire departments in New York,' said John McLaughlin, a pollster for New York Republicans and President President Trump — also known as the commander-in-chief. 5 New York Republicans are planning to bash state Democrats over the controversy surrounding Massapequa High School being pressured to change its Chiefs mascot. Heather Khalifa for the NY Post 'Hochul and the Democrats should focus on improving reading and math and not indoctrinating our students,' he said. McLaughlin noted that Hochul is already unpopular on Long Island — she has a 55% unfavorable rating in the New York suburbs compared to 36% favorable in a recent Siena College poll. She is up for reelection next year. The comments come after US Secretary of Education Linda McMahon visited Massapequa on Friday and threatened to bring a civil rights case against the Empire State for forcing the high school to ditch its mascot. The event was coordinated by Nassau County Executive and Trump pal Bruce Blakeman, who is up for re-election this fall. 'Denigrating whole communities like Massapequa and Wantagh is not a good look for Governor Hochul, who seems hell bent on making as many enemies as she can on Long Island,' Blakeman, who also is also eying a run for governor next year, told The Post Sunday. 5 Secretary of Education Linda McMahon and Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman holding up 'Chief Nation' shirts at a press conference at Massapequa High School on May 30, 2025. Courtesy of Nassau County Executive Blakeman's Democratic opponent for county executive, Seth Koslow said, 'School pride matters, but it's hard to believe this is the top concern of the federal government right now.' The New York Board of Regents' and state Education ordered schools to ban Native American mascots back in 2023. The members of the education policy-making board are appointed by the Democratic-controlled state legislature. The National Republican Congressional Campaign Committee is using the controversy to tar Democratic incumbents up for re-election next year on Long Island and elsewhere, including Reps. Tom Suozzi and Laura Gillen. 5 Blakeman accused Gov. Hochul of 'denigrating whole communities' in Long Island by forcing schools to abandon their mascots. Stephen Yang 'It's another day that ends in 'y,' so obviously Tom Suozzi and Laura Gillen's Democrat Party is more concerned with demonizing a high school mascot than lowering taxes and costs for Long Island families,' said NRCC spokeswoman Maurenn O'Toole. 'Democrats are completely missing the plot, and voters will hold Suozzi and Gillen accountable for their utterly foolish, destructive, and out of touch agenda next fall.' But Suozzi told The Post Sunday, 'I support the Massapequa Chiefs.' 5 A Chiefs mural seen at Massapequa High School. Heather Khalifa for the NY Post Suozzi said Republicans are engaging in cheap politics to change the subject. 'This is nonsense, and just another distraction from national Republicans. Congressman Suozzi supports the Massapequa Chiefs, but not the petty partisan politics that people can't stand,' said Suozzi senior campaign adviser Kim Devlin. 'National Republicans should spend their time reducing prices, negotiating a bipartisan fix on immigration, lowering their own proposed record-breaking deficits, and protecting people's healthcare—not cutting it. Congressman Suozzi has always stood with our communities, and no amount of desperate distortion will change that.' State Democratic Party chairman Jay Jacobs, a close ally of Hochul who also is the Nassau County Democratic leader, said Trump and the GOP are trying to deflect from their unpopular policies in DC by focusing on mascots. 'This is a Republican distraction. The Democrats have not made this an issue,' Jacobs insisted. 'The Republicans are trying to distract from all the damage they're doing in Washington. They want to talk about mascots instead of tariffs, cuts to Medicaid, SNAP benefits and education programs,' Jacobs said. 'This is what Republicans do every election — they try to scare and anger people.' Hochul, through a rep, sought to distance herself from the mascot controversy. 5 A Massapequa Chiefs scoreboard at the high school's baseball field. AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File 'The decision being discussed was made by the independent State Education Department, which is not under our Administration's jurisdiction,' said Hochul spokesman Gordon Tepper. 'While Secretary McMahon focuses on WWE-style distractions, Governor Hochul is focused on what matters: fully funding Long Island's public schools and making sure every kid gets a high-quality education.' Last year, Trump and the GOP successfully slammed Democrats for supporting the unpopular policy of allowing transgender athletes to compete against biological females in sports. Republicans said they are pleasantly surprised — even baffled — at state officials going after local school districts on Long Island, of all places. Numerous Long Island towns have native American names — honoring tribal history — Massapequa, Wyandanch, Manhasset, Mineola, Quogue, Amagansett, Patchogue, Hauppauge, Patchogue, among others.
Epoch Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Epoch Times
New York Ban of Native American Mascots Violates Civil Rights Law, Education Secretary Says
The U.S. Department of Education is threatening legal action against the state of New York for forcing a Long Island high school to abandon its Native American-themed mascot. During a visit to Massapequa High School on Friday, Education Secretary Linda McMahon
The Mainichi
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Mainichi
Trump's education secretary threatens to pull funding from NY over its Native American mascot ban
MASSAPEQUA, N.Y. (AP) -- New York is discriminating against a school district that refuses to get rid of its Native American chief mascot and could face a Justice Department investigation or risk losing federal funding, President Donald Trump's top education official said Friday. U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, on a visit to Massapequa High School on Long Island, said an investigation by her agency has determined that state education officials violated Title VI of the federal civil rights law by banning the use of Native American mascots and logos statewide. The department's civil rights office found the state ban is discriminatory because names and mascots derived from other racial or ethnic groups, such as the "Dutchmen" and the "Huguenots," are still permitted. McMahon described Massapequa's chiefs mascot as an "incredible" representation of Native American leadership as she made the announcement backed by dozens of students and local officials in the high school gymnasium. "The Trump Administration will not stand idly by as state leaders attempt to eliminate the history and culture of Native American tribes," the former longtime CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment said. McMahon said her department will give the state ten days to sign an agreement rescinding its Native American mascot ban and apologizing to Native Americans for having discriminated against them and attempted to "erase" their history. JP O'Hare, a spokesperson for the New York education department, dismissed McMahon's visit as "political theater" and said the school district was doing a "grave disservice" to its students by refusing to consult with local tribes about their concerns. "These representatives will tell them, as they have told us, that certain Native American names and images perpetuate negative stereotypes and are demonstrably harmful to children," he said in a statement. Representatives from the Native American Guardians Association, who voiced support for keeping the chief mascot at Friday's event, also don't speak on behalf of local Indigenous residents, despite claims from school officials, said Adam Drexler, a Massapequa resident and member of the Chickasaw Nation. "They're Native Americans for hire," he said, noting the group is based in North Dakota. "They have no tribal authority." Meanwhile the National Congress of American Indians, considered the country's oldest and largest Native American advocacy group, reaffirmed its long-standing opposition to the use of unsanctioned Native American imagery. "These depictions are not tributes -- they are rooted in racism, cultural appropriation, and intentional ignorance," the organization said in a statement ahead of McMahon's appearance. Trump ordered the federal education department to launch an inquiry into the Massapequa mascot dispute last month, making the coastal suburb an unlikely flashpoint in the enduring debate over the place of Indigenous imagery in American sports. Located about 40 miles (64 kilometers) east of Manhattan, the town has for years fought a state mandate to retire Native American sports names and mascots. But its lawsuit challenging the state's 2023 ban on constitutional grounds was dismissed by a federal judge earlier this year. State education officials gave districts until the end of this school year to commit to replacing them or risk losing education funding. Schools could be exempt from the mandate if they gained approval from a local Native American tribe, but Massapequa never sought such permission, state officials have said. Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, a Trump ally who joined McMahon on the visit, echoed the sentiments of residents who support keeping the mascot. The Massapequa chief, he said, is meant to "honor" the town's Native American heritage, not "denigrate" it. "They're trying to change our culture, and we're not having it," Blakeman said. The town is named after the Massapequa, who were part of the broader Lenape, or Delaware, people who inhabited the woodlands of the Northeastern U.S. and Canada for thousands of years before being decimated by European colonization. But indigenous residents on Long Island have called Massapequa's mascot problematic as it depicts a Native American man wearing a headdress that was typically worn by tribes in the American Midwest, but not in the Northeast. The cheery mascot also obscures Massapequa's legacy of violence against Native Americans, which includes the site of a Native American massacre in the 1600s, Native American activists have said. Massapequa, which is roughly 90% white, has long been a conservative bastion popular with New York City police and firefighters. Trump visited the town last year to attend the wake of a New York City police officer and has made frequent visits to Long Island as it has shifted Republican. Comedian Jerry Seinfeld, Hollywood's Baldwin brothers and the Long Island's alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer are also among Massapequa High's notable alums. ___ This story has been corrected to remove a reference to the event taking place Thursday. It took place Friday.
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Business Standard
3 days ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
Trump admin threatens to cut NY funding over Native American mascot ban
US Education Secretary Linda McMahon said her agency found New York state officials violated Title VI by banning Native American mascots and logos AP New York New York is discriminating against a school district that refuses to get rid of its Native American chief mascot and could face a Justice Department investigation or risk losing federal funding, President Donald Trump's top education official said Friday. US Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, on a visit to Massapequa High School on Long Island, said an investigation by her agency has determined that state education officials violated Title VI of the federal civil rights law by banning the use of Native American mascots and logos statewide. The department's civil rights office found the state ban discriminatory because names and mascots derived from other racial or ethnic groups, such as the Dutchmen and the "Huguenots", are still permitted. McMahon described Massapequa's chiefs mascot as an incredible representation of Native American leadership as she made the announcement backed by dozens of students and local officials in the high school gymnasium. The Trump administration will not stand idly by as state leaders attempt to eliminate the history and culture of Native American tribes, the former longtime CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) said. McMahon said her department will give the state 10 days to sign an agreement rescinding its Native American mascot ban and apologising to Native Americans for having discriminated against them and attempted to erase their history. J P O'Hare, a spokesperson for the New York education department, dismissed McMahon's visit as political theatre and said the school district was doing a grave disservice to its students by refusing to consult with local tribes about their concerns. These representatives will tell them, as they have told us, that certain Native American names and images perpetuate negative stereotypes and are demonstrably harmful to children, he said in a statement. Representatives from the Native American Guardians Association, who voiced support for keeping the chief mascot at Thursday's event, also don't speak on behalf of local indigenous residents, despite claims from school officials, Adam Drexler, a Massapequa resident and member of the Chickasaw Nation, said. They're Native Americans for hire, he said, noting the group is based in North Dakota. They have no tribal authority. Meanwhile the National Congress of American Indians, considered the country's oldest and largest Native American advocacy group, reaffirmed its long-standing opposition to the use of unsanctioned Native American imagery. These depictions are not tributes -- they are rooted in racism, cultural appropriation, and intentional ignorance, the organisation said in a statement ahead of McMahon's appearance. Trump ordered the federal education department to launch an inquiry into the Massapequa mascot dispute last month, making the coastal suburb an unlikely flashpoint in the enduring debate over the place of Indigenous imagery in American sports. Located about 64-km east of Manhattan, the town has for years fought a state mandate to retire Native American sports names and mascots. But its lawsuit challenging the state's 2023 ban on constitutional grounds was dismissed by a federal judge earlier this year. State education officials gave districts until the end of this school year to commit to replacing them or risk losing education funding. Schools could be exempt from the mandate if they gained approval from a local Native American tribe, but Massapequa never sought such permission, state officials have said. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
