Salamanca, N.Y. (WBEN) - The New York State Board of Regents is expected to vote Tuesday to ban the use of Native American names and mascots in schools or face defunding.
In the Southern Tier, the Salamanca School District superintendent tells WBEN students support the use of Warriors as their mascot, and he believes each district should be looked at individually and not as a whole.
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Superintendent Mark Beehler says the district is in agreement with the state decision to eliminate Native American mascots throughout New York State.
"But our concern is that each one of these circumstances should be looked at... specific to the characteristics of that particular school," says Beehler.
He notes the Salamanca district is on Seneca territory, serves the Seneca Nation of Indians, and 38% of its population consist of Indigenous students.
Beehler says his district does not have a Native American mascot.
"We do identify as the Warriors, and we have a logo, which is a historically accurate representation of a Seneca male," explains Beehler.
He says the district has gone through an extensive process of collaborating with students and residents to determine if they still identify as the Warriors, or are people concerned or offended by the term "Warriors".
"Our student populations - specifically our student government and our student activism club - have surveyed the student body at the high school, but 83% is the response rate. The preponderance of those students have indicated that they would like to stay the Warriors. They do not find the logo that we utilize to be offensive," notes Beehler.
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Beehler notes the Board of Regents has taken a hardline stance on the issue.
"In the event that the district does... stay with the current identity and logo, we will collaborate with the Seneca Nation and then the Board of Regents," says Beehler.
If the mascot must change, Beehler says he's consciously avoided that topic.
"The first thing that we need to do is determine are we collectively comfortable being the Warriors, and are we collectively comfortable with the warrior logo that we currently have. If that determination is made that we are not, then we will start a process, looking forward to say, we're no longer... Warriors and we're no longer utilizing this logo, what will we become? So we have not ventured into those waters just yet," adds Beehler.
West Seneca schools issued the following statement in response to the move to eliminate Native American names and mascots:
"We are committed to continue to phase-out all of our older uniforms that still have the word Indian and/or the Indian logo. The "W" logo, on the West Senior field and in the gym has acted as West’s temporary mascot/symbol. Along with being in the process of phasing out the Native American logo and the use of the word Indian, students at West Senior are being asked to come up with new mascot ideas for the school and will become part of the creative process that takes them from “W” to a new mascot."
The new state policy will withhold state aid for districts that continue using Native American mascots.