Education Department: N.Y. School Broke Law Over Mascot

The U.S. Education Department says a Long Island school district violated federal civil rights law by altering its Native American-themed mascot name to comply with a New York state ban on Native American imagery in school mascots.

Connetquot Central School District changed its mascot from the "Thunderbirds" to the "T-Birds," a move the department argues was driven "solely because it originates from Native American symbolism" and therefore amounts to unlawful discrimination under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.

Federal officials are demanding the district return to the original mascot name, saying the change was made only to satisfy a state regulation the department has already deemed discriminatory.

The district adopted the revised mascot after the New York State Education Department and Board of Regents barred schools from using Native American imagery for mascots.

In April, the U.S. Education Department's Office for Civil Rights said the state regulation itself violates Title VI.

"Today, we found Connetquot Central School District in violation of Title VI for erasing its Native American heritage to comply with a discriminatory New York state regulation," Kimberly Richey, assistant secretary for civil rights at the U.S. Education Department, said in a statement Thursday.

"We will not allow ideologues to decide that some mascots based on national origin are acceptable while others are banned," she continued.

"Equal treatment under the law is non-negotiable."

Richey continued by saying that the Trump administration expects the school district "to do the right thing and comply" by restoring the mascot's "rightful name."

"The Trump administration will not relent in ensuring that every community is treated equally under the law," Richey said.

The district's compliance with the state rule amounted to "race- and national-origin-based discrimination in violation of Title VI," the department said, adding that it can either reach an agreement with the federal agency or risk penalties that could include losing federal funding.

The dispute follows a fight over New York's mascot restrictions that drew national attention last year.

President Donald Trump weighed in amid a separate clash involving a Long Island district resisting the state mandate.

"I agree with the people in Massapequa, Long Island, who are fighting furiously to keep the Massapequa Chiefs logo on their Teams and School," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.

"Forcing them to change the name, after all of these years, is ridiculous and, in actuality, an affront to our great Indian population."

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