Venice High principal pulls band from Disney performance over Native American mascot

The Venice High School band will not perform on Main Street at Disney World as originally planned on Nov. 12 because Disney asked the school to cover its Native American logo, the school's principal wrote in a letter sent to parents and students Thursday.

The trip to the park itself was not canceled, and the school is searching for an alternative performance to take part in, Venice High Principal Zoltan Kerestely wrote. The principal said he asked Disney twice to reconsider its demand to cover the school's logo.

"Our band deserves to be honored and celebrated without having to change our name or cover our identity," Kerestely wrote. "When I see them perform, I am filled with pride and admiration for the work each student, Mr. Wing, and parents put into the program."

More football: High school football capsules, predictions for Week 11

Education news: Sarasota Schools Superintendent Asplen left on shaky ground despite 'highly effective' evaluation

Venice dining: What will happen to waterfront Sarasota County restaurant after flooding from Ian?

The Walt Disney Company has been at odds with conservatives and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over "wokeism" after company leadership expressed its disapproval of the Parental Rights in Education Act, dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" bill by critics.

Venice High Band director David Wing and a DeSantis spokesperson declined to comment. Spokespersons for Disney could not be reached as of Friday afternoon.

Sarasota School Board Chair Jane Goodwin said the school's decision to pull out of the performance was "disappointing," and said there should be more discussions about the future of Venice High's mascot.

"I'm disappointed that they don't get to go because they have really improved a lot," Goodwin said. "They are on a trajectory to do some great things, so I'm concerned and sad that they're not going."

Back in 2014, the Sarasota School Board heard public comments from critics eager to change the mascot from "The Indians" but faced backlash online from school alumni and it ultimately failed.

Follow Herald-Tribune Education Reporter Steven Walker on Twitter at @swalker_7. He can be reached at sbwalker@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota County high school band pulled from Disney performance