New York plans to drop part of its statewide ban on Native American school logos, a victory for Massapequa Chiefs after years of legal fights and Trump administration backing.
New York’s Board of Regents intends to repeal a key section of its 2023 mandate that barred school officers and employees from using or promoting any Indigenous name, logo, or mascot on campus or at school events. Court documents reviewed by The Post show the partial rollback will be formally announced at a November meeting, with a final vote set for February.
The change arrives days before highly anticipated legal arguments begin on Nov. 4. Massapequa, a Long Island district that has fought to keep its Chiefs identity, called the shift a hard-won result after years of resistance.
Massapequa Board of Education President Kerry Wachter put it plainly.
"After years of fighting to keep the Chiefs, we’re proud of this victory."
She went further, urging the Regents to finish the job.
"We encourage the Board of Regents to take the next step and repeal the regulation in its entirety. Once a Chief, always a Chief."
The State Education Department will recommend that the Board of Regents leave decisions about employee clothing, including apparel that displays Indigenous imagery some find offensive, to local school districts. That matches the authority districts already hold on other attire and personnel matters.
Spokesperson JP O’Hare confirmed the recommendation. He also noted that earlier legal challenges from Long Island school boards had been unsuccessful.
Massapequa’s lawyer Oliver Roberts, who grew up in the town, saw the initial rollback as a signal of bigger change ahead.
"The State has realized that its attempts to erase Massapequa’s history and tradition are patently unconstitutional."
The district does not field an official mascot and carries no Native American imagery on team uniforms. Some merchandise, however, has featured the head of a Native American chief. Officials estimated a full rebrand would have cost nearly $1 million. Neighboring districts such as the Amityville Warriors were priced out of joining the litigation altogether.
Massapequa was one of several districts that sued New York over the ban. The core accusation: the state singled out Native American imagery for prohibition while placing no similar restrictions on imagery tied to any other ethnicity. That, the districts argued, violated civil rights.
Non-compliant public schools had risked losing state funds. The Native American Guardians Association also sued the state and has said it is willing to take its case to the Supreme Court. Its lawyer, Chap Petersen, called the ban “the dumbest law of all time” in January.
Students kept the pressure on too. The senior class of 2027 produced shirts that read “2till 7he Chiefs!” while the standoff continued.
President Trump pledged in 2025 to fight for the Chiefs. He posted on Truth Social, “LONG LIVE THE MASSAPEQUA CHIEFS!” and posed in the Oval Office wearing a Massapequa sweatshirt.
He assigned Education Secretary Linda McMahon to investigate the ban. After visiting Massapequa High School in May of that year, McMahon turned over civil rights-related findings to the Justice Department.
Republican gubernatorial candidate and Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman has also pledged to preserve the logo and name if elected. He recently appeared at a Pequa football game holding Chiefs gear and directed a message at Gov. Kathy Hochul.
"You tried to take that away from Massapequa, no way."
The Board of Regents 2023 mandate prohibited school officers and employees from “utilizing or promoting any Indigenous name, logo, or mascot” while on campus or at a school function. The coming repeal covers only a section of that rule. Decisions on the broader regulation remain open, which is why Massapequa leaders are already pressing for a full repeal.
Legal arguments from both sides are still scheduled to begin Nov. 4. The November announcement and February vote will determine how much of the original mandate survives. For now, the state is stepping back from dictating what local employees may wear and promote on school grounds.
Local boards, not Albany, will regain authority over those everyday choices. That returns a piece of decision-making to the communities that live with the names and traditions every Friday night.
When distant mandates try to scrub local history, the people who actually live there eventually push back, and sometimes they win.
