Canisteo-Greenwood BOE votes to drop Native American mascot. What happens next?
The Canisteo-Greenwood Board of Education voted Wednesday to drop its mascot and team name, the Redskins, as of June 30, 2023.
The board vote came a day 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.
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 schools not in compliance could face the loss of state aid.
C-G Mascot Committee recommends name change
Canisteo-Greenwood’s plan to change its name and mascot has been in the works for some time.
A 15-member Mascot Committee, which includes students, staff, residents and district alumni, was formed last September and spent several months studying the Native American mascot issue.
The panel weighed more than 100 responses to a school district survey in which 80% favored a name change. The committee also hosted two public meetings for residents, although district officials said attendance was sparse at the sessions.
Then in December, the Mascot Committee recommended the board of education drop the team name.
Canisteo-Greenwood School Superintendent Tom Crook indicated that the Board of Education was waiting for the Board of Regents to release rules and guidance before officially adopting the Mascot Committee's recommendation.
When that happened Tuesday, the school board took action.
"I feel we are in a very good spot with the (Mascot Committee) doing their work prior to the state (Education Department) memo in November," Crook said. "Once (the) resolution passed to change the mascot, we already have a proposed process in place to change it."
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How Canisteo-Greenwood will select a new name, mascot
Crook said in December that the Mascot Committee will continue to remain involved in the process as the Canisteo-Greenwood school community selects a new name and mascot.
A tentative plan Crook outlined includes gathering suggestions for the new name from district residents and then having the Mascot Committee vet the submissions. Finalists for the new name — the number has not been determined — will be presented to students for a vote where a winner will emerge.
Crook said estimates peg the cost for Canisteo-Greenwood to transition to a new name and mascot at about $70,000. He said the bulk of that expense will be to replace team uniforms, although there will be some expenditures for signage changes.
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Dozens of NYS school districts must change team names
The Steuben County district is one of only two public school systems in New York state that uses Redskins as their athletic teams' moniker, but published reports and Canisteo-Greenwood's own research points to nearly 60 schools in New York state with Native American names, logos or other imagery.
Crook said Canisteo-Greenwood's decision to begin planning for a transition before the state set down orders will benefit the district in the long run.
"Some districts in the state are starting their work today, we started it last summer," Crook said. "We have turned over every rock we have been asked to turn over and with the final Board of Regents determination with no surprises, I feel we are ready to move forward."
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This article originally appeared on The Evening Tribune: NY's Native American mascot ban: Canisteo-Greenwood BOE to drop Redskins
