HISD board tentatively approves new mascot policy

[Draggingtree]

Houston Chronicle : HISD board tentatively approves new mascot policy Emotional meeting points to pride, prejudice as schools targeted to drop or alter images By Mike Tolson | December 12, 2013 | Updated: December 13, 2013 12:41am

Three schools in the Houston Independent School District are likely to have new mascots that no longer reflect a connection to Native American culture or history following preliminary board approval Thursday night of a policy proposed by Superintendent Terry Grier.

 

A fourth school, Westbury High, could be required to drop the use of Rebel, even though connections to the Confederacy were done away with more than two decades ago.

 

Trustees gave a tentative OK to language that calls on schools to show respect and cultural sensitivity in nicknames and mascots. An HISD news release cited the Lamar High School Redskins, Hamilton Middle School Indians and Welch Middle School Warriors as nicknames that would be affected.

 

After the meeting, Grier said teams that have generic nicknames such as Warriors could potentially keep the name if any affinity with Native Americans was dropped. Rebels is trickier because it was a common nickname for schools with Confederate themes, and to many people it still has that connotation.