MASSAPEQUA, N.Y. (AP) 鈥� New York is discriminating against a school district that refuses to get rid of its and could face a Justice Department investigation or risk losing federal funding, President Donald Trump鈥檚 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 鈥淒utchmen鈥� and the 鈥淗uguenots,鈥� are still permitted.
McMahon described Massapequa's chiefs mascot as an 鈥渋ncredible鈥� representation of Native American leadership as she made the announcement backed by dozens of students and local officials in the high school gymnasium.
鈥淭he Trump Administration will not stand idly by as state leaders attempt to eliminate the history and culture of Native American tribes,鈥� 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 鈥渆rase鈥� their history.
JP O鈥橦are, a spokesperson for the New York education department, dismissed McMahon鈥檚 visit as 鈥減olitical theater鈥� and said the school district was doing a 鈥済rave disservice鈥� to its students by refusing to consult with local tribes about their concerns.
鈥淭hese 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,鈥� 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鈥檛 speak on behalf of local Indigenous residents, despite claims from school officials, said Adam Drexler, a Massapequa resident and member of the Chickasaw Nation.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e Native Americans for hire,鈥� he said, noting the group is based in North Dakota. 鈥淭hey have no tribal authority.鈥�
Meanwhile the National Congress of American Indians, considered the country鈥檚 oldest and largest Native American advocacy group, reaffirmed its long-standing opposition to the use of unsanctioned Native American imagery.
鈥淭hese depictions are not tributes 鈥� they are rooted in racism, cultural appropriation, and intentional ignorance,鈥� the organization said in a statement ahead of McMahon鈥檚 appearance.
Trump ordered the federal education department to into the Massapequa mascot dispute last month, making the coastal suburb an unlikely flashpoint in the over the in American sports.
Located about 40 miles (64 kilometers) east of Manhattan, the town has for years fought a to retire Native American sports names and mascots.
But its lawsuit challenging the state鈥檚 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 鈥渉onor鈥� the town鈥檚 Native American heritage, not 鈥渄enigrate鈥� it.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e trying to change our culture, and we鈥檙e not having it,鈥� 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鈥檚 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鈥檚 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 white, has long been a conservative bastion popular with New York City police and firefighters.
Trump visited the town last year to of a New York City police officer and has made frequent visits to Long Island as it has .
Comedian , Hollywood鈥檚 and the Long Island鈥檚 alleged are also among Massapequa High鈥檚 notable alums.
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This story has been corrected to remove a reference to the event taking place Thursday. It took place Friday.
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Philip Marcelo, The Associated Press
