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Board signals removal of Hiram Johnson imagery after student-led push and district apology
Summary
Students and community members praised the board's direction to retire Native American imagery at Hiram Johnson High School and described backlash to student advocates; district leaders read a letter acknowledging harm and promising engagement with Native communities.
Students, family members and community advocates urged the Sacramento City Unified School District board to remove Native American imagery at Hiram Johnson High School and to protect student advocates who led the change.
Multiple commenters described a months-long student-led campaign. "This change is essential, both morally and politically," said Roseanne Bridal, a MET Sacramento student who led a petition at Hiram Johnson. Several speakers described online backlash and urged the board to offer cultural-sensitivity education and resources to minimize harm.
District staff and administrators offered a public letter acknowledging the harm caused by the imagery and committing the district to listen and act. "We hear you, we believe you, and we recognize that for many members of the native community, this harm is not new," an administrator reading the district statement said, urging administrators to attend Native American advisory committee meetings and cultural events.
Board members emphasized that removing the imagery is intended to protect students and comply with state deadlines that staff cited. One trustee said the board had "given clear, unequivocal direction" that the imagery must be taken down before the July 1 deadline, and pledged that students at Hiram Johnson would be included in shaping the school's future identity.
Public commenters and union representatives also urged the district to follow its anti-retaliation and media policies in responding to incidents related to the campus controversy. Several speakers asked for stronger staff support for student advocates and for transparent steps the district would take to implement the changes.
The board did not take a separate formal vote specifically on the mascot imagery during this meeting; trustees said they wanted site leaders and district administration to follow prior direction and final implementation plans.
