The Syosset Central School District Board of Education continued a multi-session conversation about retiring a Native American–themed mascot after the state signaled regulatory action. Board members asked for more information about process, timing and potential state funding and agreed to carry the discussion into the next months rather than finalize a decision immediately.

Why it matters: New York State staff issued guidance and a draft regulation that, if adopted, would require districts to retire mascots the department deems problematic and to phase out associated imagery. Board members pressed administrators about whether state funding would offset rebranding costs and about how quickly the district must act.

Superintendent Dr. Rogers told the board that a November memo from the education department set an expectation for districts to act and that the Board of Regents is expected to consider a matching regulation in April. He said that if the regents adopt the draft regulation the new rule would likely be official on May 3 and that any retiring process would require actions no later than the end of the school year, with imagery phase-out scheduled through June 2025.

Board members debated timing and process. Some members said they preferred to wait until after regents action or until a clearer state funding signal emerges; others emphasized the need to avoid a long “vacuum” without a mascot and to move quickly enough to engage students in choosing a successor. The board discussed options including forming an advisory group of parents, students and staff, asking the administration to outline a process modeled on the district’s 20-year-old experience, or charging the administration to craft public-engagement plans. Several members cautioned the board about legally impermissible “advisory referenda,” noting that the board, as elected representatives, must ultimately adopt policy decisions.

At the meeting’s end the board agreed to keep the item on the calendar, ask the superintendent to return with examples of other districts’ processes and with options for community engagement, and to continue the discussion next month before scheduling a final resolution in March. Dr. Rogers flagged that retaining students’ ability to participate in the selection process argues against waiting too long, because a protracted delay could push implementation past the period when students are readily engaged.

No resolution to retire or keep the mascot was approved at the meeting; board members instead directed administration to prepare process options and to present a briefing at the next meeting.