The Owego-Apalachin Central School District is asking students, staff and community members to provide input on their new school mascot.
This comes after the New York State Board of Regents ordered school districts to retire their Native American-themed mascots by the end of the academic year and transition to new team names and imagery by June 2025.
A student advisory committee reviewed the potential names submitted by the school community, according to the district’s website, and the committee will make the final recommendation to the Board of Education.
The poll is the first of several to be conducted by the committee to move the district closer to a new name.
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Why they are changing their mascot
In an April 19 district letter, the district said two committees, an Owego Free Academy student advisory committee and a community stakeholder committee, would be working simultaneously to comply with regulation, seek feedback and “focus on how to respectfully remember and honor our district’s history within regulations and continue to teach the historical significance of our area to current and future OA students.”
The New York State Board of Regents had voted unanimously the day before to ban the use of Indigenous mascots, nicknames, and imagery by the state’s school districts.
The Board of Regents order came five months after the New York State Department of Education alerted school districts that Native American mascots had to be eliminated.
Officials said school districts not in compliance could face the loss of state aid.
According to the district, OACSD’s state aid funding is roughly $30 million per year, which makes up more than half of their overall budget.
Response from Cayuga, Mohawk Nations
Districts throughout the state could seek approval from federally or state-recognized tribes to continue…
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