NEW YORK CITY (TNND) — Secretary of Education Linda McMahon on Friday visited a New York that was forced by the state to ditch its Native American mascot.
New York in 2023 ordered its high schools to remove all imagery associated with Native Americans. That order sparked outrage from students and community members of Massapequa High School, which demanded its historic Chiefs mascot be preserved.
McMahon in a visit to the school argued the state’s order violates the law.
“This is not a First Amendment case, this is a Title IX civil rights case,” she said.
The Department of Education also issued a statement on the matter, saying the Trump administration “will not stand idly by” amid the mascot ban.
“Rather than focus on learning outcomes, the New York Department of Education and Board of Regents has set its sights on erasing Massapequa’s history – while turning a blind eye to other districts’ mascots that are derived from or connected to other racial or ethnic groups,” the statement reads. “We will stand with the people of Massapequa until commonsense is restored and justice is served, and until New York comes into compliance with federal law.”
President Donald Trump also reacted to the controversy via Instagram in April and shared his support with the school.
“Forcing them to change the name, after all of these years, is ridiculous and, in actuality, an affront to our great Indian population,” Trump wrote. “The School Board, and virtually everyone in the area, are demanding the name be kept. It has become the School’s identity and, what could be wrong with using the name, ‘Chief’? I don’t see the Kansas City Chiefs changing their name anytime soon!”
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