IHSA Board To Look At Adding A Policy To The Use Of Native American Mascots

(4-15-22) The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Board of Directors met for its regularly scheduled meeting at the IHSA office in Bloomington on Tuesday, April 12, 2022.

Below is one of several discussion items the board heard.

The (IHSA) Board reviewed and discussed a letter requesting that the Board consider adding Policy related to use of Native American mascots by IHSA schools. The Board will review this topic at a future (time).

In an email reply from the IHSA’s Matt Troha about the origin of the letter-

It was a representative from a group that advocates for Native American rights and against discrimination.

The last Illinois school to change their Native American mascot was…Morris in January of 2022, the board voted six to one to make the change.

In November (17) of 2021 at a Special Meeting the Morris BOE met and made the following plan –

Sullivan, Momence and Nokomis High School in Illinois still use the redskin mascot.

Schools still using the Indians mascot include Chicago Lane Tech, Minooka, Hononegah and DuQuion.

RELATED:

• Celina Grad Supports Keeping ‘Redmen’ Mascot At Bucyrus City Schools, Ohio Leads The Country In Number Of Native American Mascots
• Why The Uproar About The ‘Redskins’ Mascot?
• Miller, Miranda call on Ohio’s Schools to Retire the Use of Native American Mascots
• Wapakoneta Says No Thank You To Mascot Change
• Washington Post Story that features Ft. Loramie, Ohio – Washington’s NFL team ditched ‘the r-word,’ but some high schools are resisting the change

Other Illinois schools making the change recently –

STATEMENT FROM KURT KORTE – PRESIDENT, LEMONT HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT 210 BOARD OF EDUCATION
At its meeting on Monday, July 19, 2021 the Lemont High School District 210 Board of Education approved a resolution to discontinue the use of “Indians” in reference to its student activities and athletic teams effective at the beginning of the 2021-22 school year, and to begin phasing out the use of the “LHS Indians” logo for activities and athletics.

The Board of Education is unanimous in its support of this resolution, which can be found in full at the bottom of the page. Please click here to view a signed version.