The Kansas State Board of Education recommends ‘retiring’ Indian mascots in K-12 schools ASAP
The Kansas State Board of Education has formally recommended K-12 schools in the state eliminate Native American mascots “as soon as possible.”
Only one board member voted against the motion…
The Kansas State Board of Education has formally recommended K-12 schools in the state eliminate Native American mascots “as soon as possible.”
Only one board member voted against the motion during Thursday’s meeting.
“The Board makes a strong recommendation to Kansas K-12 nontribal schools to adopt the actions recommended in the statement and retire Indian-themed mascots and branding as soon as possible, but no longer than within the next three to five years,” the approved motion reads.
In a tweet accompanying the motion, the Kansas State Department of Education wrote, “The State Board voted to accept and affirm the Kansas Advisory Council for Indigenous Education Working Group’s mascot reform statement and recommendations.”
A previous Lion report anticipated Thursday’s vote, seeking to clarify a report that the board might consider using accreditation to force schools to eliminate Indian mascots.
Board member Michelle Dombrosky, who voted against Thursday’s recommendation, told The Lion she was working to ensure any decision would only be recommendation, not a mandate.
“I wanted to make sure that if this passes with six votes, that it is only a ‘recommendation’ by the State Board of Education, not a mandate by us. Therefore, it should not impact a district’s accreditation.”
Although it ended up being merely a recommendation, Dombrosky nonetheless opposed the measure, saying she believes local districts should handle the issue themselves without state-level interference.
Board member Melanie Haas believes districts need the state’s prodding.
“There are districts that aren’t having these conversations, or that are having a hard time with those discussions,” Haas said, according to the Associated Press. “So, when we take a leadership role at the state level and say this is something you should look at, I think that’s really important messaging that some of those districts need.”
Some two dozen Kansas schools still use Native American-themed mascots.
