Massapequa Challenges A Change of History

MASSAPEQUA, NY - Massapequa School District has sued the New York State Board of Education for an ultimatum given to all New York school districts. Change all Native American related mascots and logos, or lose funding.

Massapequa School District is known for its “Chief” name and logo, spanning from elementary schools to their main high school. Their saying of “Once a Chief, always a Chief” is used throughout their district as a welcome to new students and a farewell to graduating students.

The recent ban did not sit well with the district, as they filed suit shortly after the start of the new school year. Massapequa’s Board of Education sent this letter to the community, “It is no secret the Chief logo is not just an image. It is Massapequa’s history and has been adopted by more than just our school district. To showcase the logo and the pride felt by our community, we have developed a video to highlight our heritage. As the saying goes, ‘Once a Chief, Always a Chief’”. That phrase resonates with many students in the district.

“I’m on the hockey team and being a Chief is one of my proudest accomplishments,” said Ryan Simpson, a senior varsity hockey player attending Massapequa High School.“I really do feel special every time I put on that jersey and take the ice representing the blue and gold.” Massapequa is known for being very passionate about their sports teams, so it isn’t surprising to see players who are passionate about the Chief name.

The Chief name isn’t just used for sports. “I went to Birch Lane elementary, and there were many teachers including the principal who heavily advocated for Chief school spirit,” said Adam Uvaydov, a junior at MHS. Even after more than half a decade out of elementary school, the impact of the Chiefs stick with students their whole lives.

New York State’s ban on Native American names and logos follows a national trend, as professional sports teams have been hit with the change. For example, the Cleveland Indians changed their name to the Cleveland Guardians in 2021. The NFL officially changed the name of the Washington Redskins to the temporary name of Washington Football Team in 2020. This was changed to the Washington Commanders in February 2022. Eventually, these changes came to New York State.

Some Native American groups disagreed with the changes. The Native American Guardians Association requested the Commanders change their name back to the Redskins. “At this moment in history, we are formally requesting that the team revitalize its relationship with the American Indian community by changing the name back to 'The Redskins' which recognizes America's original inhabitants and using the team's historic name and legacy to encourage Americans to learn about, not cancel, the history of America's tribes and our role in the founding of this Great Nation,” the letter from the group reads.

The New York State Board of Education failed to give a comment when I reached out, but they provided resources in which their opinions are outlined. “It’s the right thing to do.” said Kathleen Cashin, a member of the 2nd Judicial District in the New York State Board of Education, in a phone call with The New York Post.“Our desire is to elevate people, not diminish them. We want to elevate all people.”

Kerry Wachter, the Massapequa Board of Education President, was interviewed on Fox News in June over the suit. She disagrees with what Kathleen Cashin says about the names. “They said it’s offensive and that we need to eradicate it. This is an opinionated thing, some people feel one way and some feel another. There are Native American organizations who say ‘educate, do not eradicate’, and that is kind of what we feel like and we want to keep their Native American roots alive.” She goes on to say how the names are used out of respect for the Natives and their history.
“The Department does not anticipate that any team names, logos, or mascots that contain vestiges of prohibited team names, logos, or mascots will be considered acceptable,” said JP O’Hare, New York State Board of Education spokesperson, who also spoke to The New York Post through an email.

MassapequaPS, the official YouTube account for Massapequa Public Schools, created a video titled “Once a Chief, Always a Chief!”, as a response to the ban. “It didn’t take long to learn that everything Massapequa, was everything Native American,” said David Nobile, a retired educator in the Massapequa School District. “Not just the schools, the chiefs, the bison, etcetera, but even the fire department has an icon of the Native American Chief, and the Chamber of Commerce.”