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Syosset board votes to retire ‘Braves’ mascot; directs administration to form replacement plan
Summary
After public comment and legal review, the Board of Education amended and passed a resolution committing the district to eliminate Native American names, logos and mascots; administrators will return with a plan and await final state guidance.
The Syosset Central School District Board of Education voted on May 8 to retire the school district’s “Braves” team name and mascot and committed to eliminate related names, logos and imagery consistent with guidance from state education authorities.
Melissa Foreman, a resident who said she is the Walt Whitman PTA co‑president but spoke on her own behalf, urged the board to adopt the resolution and called for the district to acknowledge the harms associated with Indigenous mascots. She referenced the New York State Board of Regents directive that requires districts still using Indigenous names or imagery to commit to removing them.
Doctor Rogers, the district superintendent, reported that the board had asked the district attorney whether substituting the singular term “Brave” would constitute a vestige of the existing name; the attorney advised that “Brave” would be considered a vestige and should be avoided. The board reviewed a draft resolution prepared by counsel and first moved to adopt the resolution; board member Brian then proposed and the board approved an amendment changing the deadline language to align with state regulation, making the district’s commitment to eliminate Indigenous names, logos and mascots by the end of the 2024–25 school year while making the resolution effective immediately upon passage.
After debate and amendment votes, the board approved the amended resolution by voice vote. Board members directed Superintendent Rogers to present a plan at the next meeting that would describe how the district would implement the change, including a process for community, student and staff input on a replacement name and mascot. Rogers said administrators will wait for a final guidance document from the State Education Department before finalizing the committee process and will seek possible legislative or grant funding and assess which replacement-related costs can be treated as capital projects eligible for building-aid reimbursement (the district cited an updated building-aid ratio of 41.9%). He cautioned that state approvals for capital projects can take 40–45 weeks.
Board members and administrators said they intend to include student voice; Rogers reported student cabinet members had asked to be involved if a change occurred. The board did not record a roll-call tally in the transcript; routine parliamentary procedure was followed to propose, amend and adopt the resolution.
The vote concludes the board’s unfinished business on the district’s use of Native American team names and mascots and starts a planning process for replacement and implementation.
