Trump administration to investigate New York's funding threat over Long Island tribal school mascot

MASSAPEQUA, N.Y. – The U.S. Department of Education announced Friday it plans to analyse whether New York acquisition officials are being discriminatory by threatening to withhold funding if a Long Island schoolhouse territory doesn't halt utilizing a Native American-themed logo.

The probe by the agency's civilian rights bureau stems from a ailment filed by the Native American Guardian's Association, a nonprofit that supports “the beauteous artistry of autochthonal identifiers successful sports and the mainstream,” according to its website. The enactment says the backing menace constitutes a usurpation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.

The announced probe besides comes respective days aft President Donald Trump waded successful into a section combat implicit the Massapequa schoolhouse district's longtime “Chief" logo, arguing it was “ridiculous” and “an affront to our large Indian population” to present unit the Long Island territory to alteration it.

In his Truth Social post, Trump said helium had asked his acquisition caput to “fight for the radical of Massapequa connected this precise important issue.” The station was included successful Friday's announcement from the Department of Education.

"The U.S. Department of Education volition not basal by arsenic the authorities of New York attempts to rewrite past and contradict the municipality of Massapequa the close to observe its practice successful its schools,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said successful a statement.

McMahon accused New York officials of choosing to “prioritize erasing Native Americans, their affluent history, and their heavy transportation the state” and said “it is not mislaid connected the Department” that the authorities has singled retired Native American past and not mascots tied to different groups. She citing “the Vikings, Fighting Irish, (and) the Cowboys” arsenic examples successful her statement.

“We volition analyse this substance fully,” she said.

A connection was near seeking remark with the New York Department of Education. In an earlier statement, JP O'Hare, the agency's spokesperson, said the state's Board of Regents successful April 2023 adopted regulations “to extremity the demeaning Indigenous names and mascots successful New York's nationalist schools," noting that “certain Native American names and images person been shown to perpetuate antagonistic stereotypes that are demonstrably harmful to children.”

“Disrespecting full groups of radical is incorrect successful immoderate context, but particularly successful our schools, wherever each students should consciousness invited and supported,” helium said.

O'Hare said the Massapequa schoolhouse strategy “stayed soundless during the regulatory process” and did not scope retired to Indigenous leaders oregon the department’s Mascot Advisory Committee to find whether its squad sanction and mascot would beryllium permissible. Instead, helium said, Massapequa challenged the regulations successful tribunal and lost.

“It is ironic that the national authorities present seeks to intervene connected an contented that is squarely reserved to the States,” O'Hare said.

Frank Blackcloud, vice president of the North Dakota-based Native American Guardian's Association, said successful a connection that “the preservation of Native themes and imagery successful New York nationalist schools is not lone a substance of taste dignity but a cardinal civilian close for each students.”

Kerry Wachter, president of the Massapequa Board of Education, thanked the Trump medication for “standing with Massapequa successful our effort to sphere the Chiefs sanction and grant our community’s arrogant history.”

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Haigh reported from Connecticut.

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