Long Island school district sued over ‘racially problematic’ mascot

A New York school district is being sued over a ‘racist’ mascot after ditching its previous American Indian mascot to appease the unappeasable.

William King Moss III, former math teacher and current Islip Town NAACP President, slapped the Long Island school district for its newly adopted “Spartans” mascot, claiming it’s a “symbol of hate” and “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,” the complaint states, FOX News Digital reported.

“Green Machine”, “Bears,” “Bulldogs,” “Owls,” and “Eagles” were top contenders and acceptable to Moss because they lack an “identifiable or generally perceived protected class,” but “Spartans” ultimately garnered the most votes.

Moss had reportedly warned the Board of Education in November of a lawsuit if it selected another mascot based on race after the district banned its former Native American-themed mascot, FOX reported.

Moss complained that the Spartans are a “symbol of White supremacy,” and well-known “White warriors” who “enslaved indigenous people,” according to FOX.

The school board doesn’t see it that way, however, and stood its ground on “Spartans,” arguing its widespread use among other schools and stating it does not refer to a “particular ethnic group.”

New York school district hit with lawsuit over ‘Spartans’ mascot deemed symbol of ‘White supremacy’ https://t.co/2xKO1mw7hp

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But the new mascot is not only a symbol of “White supremacy,” it also represents “male misogynists” because “Ancient Spartans did not allow females to be soldiers in the military,” according to the complaint.

The district’s previous mascot, “The Indians,” was ditched in 2024 after an order from the New York Education Department requiring schools to erase indigenous names, mascots, and logos without permission from tribal nations.

Schools that refused were subject to penalties and the withholding of state aid, FOX reported.

Brentwood Schools declined to comment to Fox Digital, but the Superintendent of Schools argued that the selection process for the new mascot was done in an inclusive manner with participation from the community, students, and approval from the Board of Education in November 2024.

Moss is asking the district to pick a new mascot and cover attorney costs, Fox reported.

This comes as a lawsuit by four Long Island school districts challenging the “indigenous” ban was dismissed by a federal judge on Tuesday, according to Fox.

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