A long island, New York The district faces lawsuits from fathers and local civil rights leaders who claim the district’s new mascot is a symbol of white supremacy.
William King Moss III, president of ISLIP Town NAACP, former math teacher at Brentwood United Free School District, and the father of two Brentwood students, filed a complaint against the district on March 26.
Moss’ complaint accused the region of choosing the “Spartans” as the new mascot, claiming ancient Greek warriors were “a symbol of hatred” despite it being a “racial issue” Prohibited by state law.
His complaint believes that the district began collecting new mascot ideas from the community through an online investigation in January 2024. The answer narrowed down to six options, and the region said it chose the “Spartans” after selecting the most votes.
The Brentwood Union Free School District in Long Island, New York is litigating its new mascot. (New York position)
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Moss believes that other options selected, “Green Machine”, “Bear”, “Owl”, “Bulldog” and “Eagle” are not members of the “identifiable or generally perceived protected class” like the Spartans.
The complaint said: “Spartans are a category of the identifiable and generally considered protected white non-Hispanic species in the race, with colors being white, Greek, Greek for nationality and Spartan or Greek for race.”
Moss’ lawsuit challenges the method of investigation and argues that the region does not act democratically in choosing a mascot, which is intended to replace the banned Native American-themed mascot.
The complaint states that Moss asked the district to vote again. Last November, Moss warned the district that choosing a race-based mascot would spark a lawsuit during a meeting with the Board of Education.
Greek Spartan soldiers. (Gate image)
The school committee defended Moss’ decision, according to an email sent by the school board in December. The board believes the team’s name is used by more than a dozen school districts in New York and denies that the Spartans suggest any “specific race.”
Moss said the Spartans were “a symbol of white supremacy” because they were known to be “white warriors” who conquered other groups and “enslaved indigenous peoples called helots.”
The complaint also accuses the logo of hatred for women as a symbol of the army of hatred, because “the ancient Spartans did not allow women to be soldiers in the army.”
Moss accused Brentwood of violating state and federal due process terms in the choice of his team and by choosing the symbol of “white supremacy” and “male misogynistic”, as well as other complaints listed in the complaint, which violated state and federal equal protection clauses.
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The lawsuit against the New York school district claims that the Spartans’ logo was a “racial issue” and harmed the female student. (iStock)
Moss’ complaint requires the district to choose a new mascot and bear the costs of the attorney.
Brentwood School declines to comment on pending lawsuits Fox News Numbers. Moss did not immediately return a request for comment.
The principal of Wanda Ortiz-Rivera School said in a statement that the selection process was completed in an inclusive manner, with the opinions of students, staff and the wider community and the Education Board approved the November 21, 2024 resolution.
The former mascot of the area was the “Indians”. In a directive from April last year, it was forced to pick a new mascot New York Department of Education The district is asked to stop using indigenous names, mascots and logos unless they are licensed by the tribal state.
Schools that refuse Obey the rules By the end of the 2024-2025 school year, they may face fines, including withholding state aid.
A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by four Long Island school districts on Tuesday, challenging the state injunction, Long Island Media Report.
