Listener supported WNYC Studios.

Ryan Laird on WNYC.

A little background on this Massapee case.

In 2023, the New York State Board of Regents issued guidance banning the use of Native

American mascots, team names, and logos in public schools or risk losing state funding.

The ban led to backlash in a long legal battle

in the public school district of Massapequa, those of you don't know, Massapequa,

which is on the south shore of Long Island, where the name the chiefs, evoking an 18th century

depiction of a Native American is used across the district, including at Massapequa High School,

and even at the fire department, I have read. Well, now President Donald Trump has weighed in

in a post on his true social media platform. The president asked U.S. Secretary of Education,

Linda McMahon, to intervene in defense of the Massapequa school district. And on Friday,

McMahon heeded the call. She wrote in a statement, the U.S. Department of Education will not stand by

as the state of New York attempts to rewrite history and deny the town of Massapiqua the right

to celebrate its heritage in schools."

That's from the Education Department.

I've also read now that the Justice Department is looking into whether it's legal for New York

State to deny those state funds.

If they don't change the name, is the state being discriminatory as it's

accusing the school district of being discriminatory? Seems to be the question the Justice

Department wants to ask. Joining us now with the latest is Darwin Janus, education reporter at Newsday,

which of course is Long Island's newspaper.

...