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 declared that the New York State Board of Regents violated Title VI, the federal law prohibiting race-based discrimination in federally funded education programs, when it tried to ban the school’s longtime “Chiefs” nickname and feathered headdress logo in 2023.
McMahon warned that if the state does not reverse course and allow Massapequa High to retain its mascot, the department may withhold federal funding and refer the issue to the Department of Justice for a potential civil rights lawsuit….