"Critics bashed a Long Island school's secret "backroom deal" with state officials to rebrand its sports team to comply with a controversial Native American logo ban - saying the community should keep fighting. Connetquot has been quietly negotiating to shorten its Thunderbirds team name to T-Birds, a name that New York previously said was included in its logo ban, according to documents obtained by The Post."
"Connetquot had sued New York to keep its Thunderbirds team name after the Board of Regents enacted the ban on Native American-themed logos and sports team names in 2023. But while the school was supposedly digging in on the fight against the rebrand it claimed would cost $23 million it quietly was beginning negotiations with the state for a compromise."
"One vocal school board member said the deal showed the state was willing to break its own rules - and school leaders were willing to cut the public out of the process. "You don't even tell the community that this agreement exists, and you're just going to make a decision and represent them?" Connetquot board member Jacquelyn DiLorenzo fumed to The Post, blasting her colleagues as "very corrupt.""
Connetquot School District negotiated privately with state officials to shorten its Thunderbirds team name to T-Birds while publicly opposing a statewide ban on Native American-themed logos and names. The district had sued New York after the Board of Regents enacted the ban in 2023 but began behind-the-scenes talks to avoid a reportedly $23 million rebrand. State officials had indicated both "Thunderbirds" and "T-Birds" were impermissible. A school board member condemned the secret agreement, accused leaders of excluding the community, and called colleagues corrupt. District counsel reported an agreement was negotiated to allow the T-Birds name under specified conditions.
Read at New York Post
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]