Share and Follow
A HIGH school is being sued by a parent over its new mascot, which the parent says is a ‘symbol of white supremacy.’
A student’s father and local civil rights leaders are banding together to prevent the new Spartan mascot from taking effect.
The high school’s new Spartan mascot was chosen to replace its previous mascot, “The Indians,” after that was deemed insensitive to Native Americans.
The district was required to choose a new mascot after the state required all public schools to no longer use indigenous names, mascots, and logos unless they had permission from tribal nations.
William King Moss III, the town’s NAACP president and former mathematics teacher, is the father of two students at the high school and filed the complaint on March 26, Fox News reported.
Moss called the new mascot a “symbol of hate” and is “racially problematic.”
“Spartans are of the identifiable and generally perceived protected classes of White Non-Hispanic in race, White in color, Greek in National Origin, and Spartan or Greek in Ethnicity,” his complaint states.
The school district sent out an online survey to determine the new mascot in January 2024.
The survey was sent multiple times throughout the year, and the responses were narrowed down to six options.
The other options included the Green Machine, Bears, Owls, Bulldogs, and Eagles.
Moss’s lawsuit argues that the district did not act diplomatically when selecting the new mascot.
The lawsuit asks the Brentwood Union Free School District on Long Island, New York, to have another vote.
The father had warned the district he would sue if it went ahead with the Spartans as its mascot.
An alleged email sent by the school district defending its new mascot said that the name is used by over one dozen school districts in the state.
Moss rebutted the district’s defense, arguing that the Spartans are known to be “White warriors” who “enslaved indigenous people called the Helots.”
Furthermore, Moss claimed that the new mascot is also misogynistic.
The former Brentwood math teacher said the Spartans are hateful against women serving in the military because “Ancient Spartans did not allow females to be soldiers in the military.”
The lawsuit accuses the public school district of violating state and federal due process clauses in its team selection.
Superintendent of Schools’ statement
Superintendent of Schools Wanda Ortiz-Rivera previously said:
“The district complied with New York State Education Department regulations, which required all school districts to eliminate the use of Indigenous-themed mascots, team names, and imagery.
“In response, the Board of Education led an inclusive process that involved input from students, staff, and the broader community.
“This process ultimately resulted in the selection of the Spartans as our new mascot. The Board officially approved the resolution on November 21, 2024.”
Moss also argues that the school violated federal equal protection clauses by choosing a symbol of “white supremacy” and “male misogynists.”
The lawsuit asks that the district pick a new mascot and cover the father’s attorney fees.
Superintendent of Schools Wanda Ortiz-Rivera previously said in a statement that the process was ” inclusive” with votes from the whole school community.
Superintendent Wanda Ortiz-Rivera did not immediately reply to The U.S. Sun’s request for more information.
