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Board member says repainting stadium image conflicts with district values; recalls past mascot changes
Summary
A board member raised concerns about a recently repainted stadium image that uses Indigenous imagery, saying the action conflicts with earlier work to deemphasize offensive mascots and with district values on respect and inclusion.
A board member used her comment time on Oct. 28 to raise concerns about a recent repainting of an image on a stadium that uses Indigenous imagery. She recalled the district’s earlier process in 2021–22 to review mascots and said that research at the time found Indigenous imagery as mascots to be harmful and offensive.
‘‘It feels a little bit like a contradiction to me that today we're celebrating a famous artist repainting an offensive image on the side of one of our stadiums,’’ the board member said, adding that she did not want to ‘‘erase history’’ but wanted the district to live up to its stated values.
She said the earlier process had been painful and had produced recommendations to deemphasize offensive imagery; that effort met resistance from some alumni and community members, she said. The board member asked the board to consider the cultural harm of such imagery and stated she was ‘‘not particularly TPS proud of [the repainting] at this moment.’’
Board members did not take a formal vote on the mural during the meeting. The remark was part of a broader set of board comments that also referenced student events, retiree recognition and legislative activity affecting schools.
