President Donald Trump declared his support for the Massapequa School District to maintain its Native American Mascot, calling for the federal Secretary of Education to “fight” for the school district to maintain its mascot.
“I agree with the people in Massapequa, Long Island, who are fighting furiously to keep the Massapequa Chiefs logo on their Teams and School,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Forcing them to change the name, after all of these years, is ridiculous and in actuality an affront to our great Indian population.”
The Massapequa Board of Education expressed gratitude for the president’s actions.
“The Massapequa community has been working hard to preserve our identity and protect local decision-making. We are honored that President Trump has recognized our efforts and brought national attention to our cause. His support is a powerful affirmation of what we’re fighting for,” the Massapequa school board wrote. “We’re deeply grateful for the incredible support from our community, and the continued backing of local leaders and NAGA (Native American Guardians Association), who have stood with us throughout this fight to preserve our community’s identity, traditions, First Amendment rights, and value in honoring Native Americans.”
While Trump said Secretary of Education Linda McMahon would “fight for the people of Massapequa on this very important issue,” he did not state what this would entail.
The Massapequa School District’s mascot is the chief, including a district logo with the letter “M” adorning a Native American headdress. A recent New York Board of Regents policy barred the use of the mascot and logo.
The Board of Regents unanimously voted in April 2023 to ban the use of Native American mascots, team names, logos and depictions. Schools were originally tasked with establishing a new mascot by the end of the 2022-23 school year, but this was later changed to June 2025.
The policy was also extended to prohibit the use of Native American iconography in school names and logos.
If the mascots are not changed to comply with the policy, school districts are threatened with having their state funding revoked.
Court documents stated that the Massapequa Board of Education did pass a resolution to eliminate their use of indigenous names, mascots or logos by the end of the 2024–2025 school year.
The Massapequa School District, alongside three other school districts, filed a lawsuit challenging the state’s policy. In March, a federal judge ruled in favor of the state’s Board of Regents and dismissed the suit.
The school districts that filed the suit were the Connetquot, Massapequa, Wantagh and Wyandanch.
The judge said the districts failed to provide enough evidence and they “lack capacity” to sue under the 14th Amendment and other acts.
“Because school district plaintiffs, school board plaintiffs, and individual board member plaintiffs suing in their official capacity lack capacity to assert a First Amendment violation, the court does not address their overbreadth claims,” the court ruling said.
The Massapequa School District expressed disappointment on the outcome of the lawsuit.
“We are disappointed to share that a federal judge has dismissed our lawsuit challenging New York State’s regulation banning Native American mascots,” the Massapequa School District said Friday. “While this decision is not the outcome we had hoped for, it does not change our unwavering commitment to protecting and preserving the identity and traditions of our community. We firmly believe that decisions about our schools should reflect the voices of the people who live here not be dictated by the state.”
Other local school district have already changed their Native American mascots, including the Manhasset School District, which removed their “Indian” mascot altogether and is now just referred to by the abbreviation of the school’s name, the “Set.”
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said the state is “picking on” Nassau County with this policy. He called the state policy “woke.”
Blakeman defended the use of Native Americans and their iconography as mascots, saying that Long Island is a supporter of its local Native American populations.
“When I think of a chief, I think of a leader. When I think of a warrior, I think of somebody with bravery, somebody who is loyal,” Blakeman said in an interview on Fox News.
The county executive thanked Trump for his support.
“Thank you, President Trump, for supporting our culture, our history, and our identity here in Nassau County with the Massapequa Chiefs, Wantagh Warriors, and others who praise and honor our Native American history,” Blakeman said in a statement.
