Massapequa school board asks Trump for help to save ‘Chiefs’ mascot
The board is urging President Trump to issue an executive order that would prevent states and local governments receiving federal funding from banning such mascots and logos.
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The fight to preserve the “Chiefs” mascot in the Massapequa School District has now reached the highest level of American politics. The Massapequa School Board is formally requesting President Donald Trump to intervene, asking him to sign an executive order that would protect Native American mascots and imagery nationwide.
Massapequa School Board President Kerry Wachter announced the effort in response to a New York State Education Department directive that bans Native American-related imagery in public schools. Districts that fail to comply risk losing state funding.
“We’ve said this over and over again. We want to preserve our heritage. We want to preserve our Native American history,” Wachter said.
The board is urging Trump to issue an executive order that would prevent states and local governments receiving federal funding from banning such mascots and logos. Wachter argues that the state’s policy does more harm than good.
“I think it’s misguided when they say to ban Native American imagery and logos because you are erasing them,” she said. “We’re forgetting our past. We need to embrace our past and talk about it.”
However, the use of Native American mascots remains a deeply divisive issue. Critics say these representations are not respectful tributes but harmful stereotypes.
“Whose history are we really uplifting?” asked April Francis Taylor, acting president of the advocacy group Erase Racism. Taylor says that using Indigenous culture as a mascot, especially in educational settings, undermines the lived experiences of Native people.
“The idea that an institution, especially an educational organization, would want to utilize a cultural identity to represent their sports or the mascots is a little troubling,” she said.
This isn’t the first time Massapequa has looked to Trump for support. In April, the former president held up a Massapequa sweatshirt at the White House in a gesture of solidarity. In May, U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon visited the district and pledged to challenge the state’s ban.
“We’re hoping he sees it and we’re hoping he will respond,” Wachter said. “We know this is something that seems to be important to him. He’s talked about it a few times.”
As of press time, the school board has not received a response from President Trump. News 12 has also reached out to the New York State Education Department and Long Island Native American leaders for comment but has not received replies.
