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Board hears Native American program concerns after flag was raised incorrectly at School 19; principal apologizes
Summary
A Seneca community member told the board the Haudenosaunee flag at Native American Magnet School 19 was raised upside down and urged more Native leadership and a national search for a principal; the superintendent read an apology from Principal Suwala, said the flag was corrected and pledged program support ahead of a 2026 national conference in Buffalo.
At Wednesday’s Buffalo Board of Education meeting, Selena Irene, who identified herself as Seneca from Buffalo Creek and a member of the Wolf Clan, urged the district to strengthen Native American leadership and staffing at Native American Magnet School 19 and flagged what she said were repeated errors, including the school raising the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois Confederacy) flag upside down.
Irene asked the board to consider restoring a…
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