Nyack School Board Retires Indian Name For Sports Teams

NYACK, NY — The Nyack Board of Education voted unanimously Tuesday to retire the district's nickname of "Nyack Indians."

Following recent nationwide protests that have led to a heightened awareness regarding race relations, Nyack school board president Michael Mark said he had received petitions, e-mails and phone calls from people in the community to change the mascot's name entirely.

A change.org petition to change the name received nearly 3,000 signatures, while a petition to keep it received nearly 500.

The change affects not just sports teams but entities such as the Nyack High School Indianettes cheerleading team.

The district stopped using an Indian mascot in 2003 but kept the name, The Journal News reported. Changing the branding will cost tens of thousands of dollars, Nyack schools superintendent James Montesano told TJN.