Massapequa district seeking Trump executive order amid mascot ban fight

The Massapequa school district is asking President Donald Trump to consider issuing an executive order that would prohibit governments and public entities from restricting the use of Native American mascots, names and other imagery by schools, teams or organizations.

The request comes amid the district's ongoing fight to keep its nickname, the Chiefs, and its mascot, which depicts a Native American in a headdress.

The state Board of Regents in 2023 banned the use of Native American mascots, team names and logos in public schools. The mandate affected 13 districts on Long Island, most of which have taken steps to comply with the regulation.

In a statement, the board of education said the state’s mascot ban was "not only misguided" but risks "canceling a piece of our shared history."

"That’s why we are calling on President Donald Trump to take bold, historic action and issue an Executive Order to protect Native American names, imagery and symbols in schools and on sports teams nationwide," the board said in its statement. "This is about preserving cultural identity and defending constitutional rights. An Executive Order would be a landmark stand for American tradition — and a win for Native Americans who want their heritage respected, not removed."

White House officials did not comment Wednesday on Massapequa's request. In a statement, White House spokesman Davis R. Ingle said, “Thanks to President Trump, the days of political correctness and cancel culture are over. As President Trump said, franchises who changed their once great team names to pander to the Woke Left should immediately restore their original names, which an overwhelming amount of American citizens agree with.”

But John Kane, a Mohawk activist and member of the New York State Indigenous Mascot Advisory Council, said, "The ban is here because it is discriminatory."

Local Native American leaders have said such imagery perpetuates negative stereotypes.

Sandi Brewster-walker, executive director and government affairs officer for the Montaukett Indian Nation, said the mascots are an “insult” to Native American people and called the fight “a waste of taxpayer dollars.”

Kane also questioned Trump’s legal authority to change a state policy.

"Right now, Massapequa is standing in stark violation of the ban and I got to believe NYSED is considering all of their options," he said, using an acronym for the New York State Education Department.

State Education Department spokesman J.P. O'Hare said in a statement that a federal court has sided with the state in two separate legal challenges.

"We remain committed to ending the use of harmful, outdated and offensive depictions of Indigenous people," he said. "Our responsibility is to students and families; we won’t trade their dignity for convenience."

Funding threat

The proposed order states that the education secretary "shall review all federal funding to educational institutions and ensure compliance with this Order. Any institution found to be engaging in unconstitutional censorship or compelled renaming shall be subject to funding reconsideration."

The order also says that Native American tribes would be "empowered to voluntarily collaborate with schools, sports teams and civic institutions that seek to honor their names and traditions."

The Massapequa district has partnered with the Native American Guardians Association, which describes itself as a group of American Indian-enrolled members and tribal descendants who support "Native identifiers in sports and the mainstream."

School districts had until June 30 to comply with the state's ban. The Wantagh and Connetquot districts have been granted deadline extensions.

Last month, the state Education Department denied the Massapequa district’s request for an extension, citing a lack of "good cause" effort.

Trump has publicly sided with the school district and called for an investigation into the matter.

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has said the mascot ban violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. The investigation has since been referred to the Department of Justice.