LIBERTY –– For almost three quarters of a century, the Liberty Central School District mascot has been the “Indians.” However, they will soon begin the process of picking a new one.

As the Democrat reported earlier this month, the New York State Education Department (SED) mandated that all schools stop using Native American mascots, logos and imagery. Failure to adhere to the mandate carries penalties that include loss of State aid and school officers. 

“Many of our students, staff and alumni are proud to be the Liberty Indians,” said Liberty Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Patrick Sullivan, in a message on the district website. “And while we do take pride in the accomplishments we have had as Indians, it is now time to find a different mascot.”

Following a recent State Supreme Court ruling, the SED determined that Liberty and dozens of schools across the state, who use Indian mascots and imagery, are in violation of The Dignity for All Students Act (DASA).

DASA prohibits “the creation of a hostile environment … that … reasonably causes or would reasonably be expected to cause … emotional harm to a student,” a condition that could be created through the use of Native American mascots, the SED has stated.

Since the early 2000s, districts have been encouraged to move away from use of these symbols, but many continued to use the Indian mascot, believing that it is meant to honor the native tribes.

The SED added in its mandate that arguments that community members support the use of such imagery or that it is ‘respectful’ to Native Americans are no longer tenable.

School Board President John Nichols’ family has been in Liberty since the early 1800s, and he himself is a 1985 Liberty graduate.

“As a lifelong proud Liberty Indian, you hate to see traditions change, but out of true respect to local nations, it’s something we must do,” said Nichols of changing the school mascot.

Board of Education member and 1989 Liberty graduate Matthew DeWitt, who affirmed that he was speaking for himself and not the board, believes it’s a sad day.

“I believe Liberty took pride in recognizing the indigenous people of our area,” said DeWitt. “In my opinion it wasn’t the indigenous people calling for the change (we’ve had no correspondence to the school), it came from non-elected State officials. And it’s going to come at quite an expense to the taxpayer to rid our district of all that’s in the mandate.”

DeWitt added that while he isn’t against change, he supports “well thought out” change, where all stakeholders are involved.

“This is a mandate from the State,” said DeWitt, “from the fear of losing public education funding.”

The district will soon begin discussions on what the new mascot will be. 

According to Sullivan, the State Board of Regents, which supervises school districts, is expected to issue further guidance in the coming months.

“While we do not yet have a plan on how the changeover will take place, we do know in the coming months we will seek input from all sectors of the Liberty school community,” said Sullivan. “We know this is going to be a big change for our school community. We hope everyone will offer constructive feedback to help make Liberty a great place to learn for all.”