Overview
- The Trump administration has launched a Title VI civil rights investigation into New York's ban on Native American mascots in public schools.
- U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon announced the probe, claiming the ban erases cultural heritage and violates federal anti-discrimination laws.
- New York State Education Department officials criticized the investigation, noting no federal contact and pointing to prior court rulings upholding the ban.
- Schools that fail to comply with the ban by this summer risk losing state funding and the removal of school board members.
- Native American leaders argue the mascots perpetuate harmful stereotypes, while legal experts question the federal government's legal basis for intervention.