Neshaminy Nickname Changes 'Yet To Be Determined'

LEVITTOWN, PA — Neshaminy School District officials said there are no immediate plans to change Neshaminy High School's mascot, after last week's decision by Washington's NFL team to get rid of the same name.

"Any decision to change the team name or related imagery will be made by the Neshaminy school board with input from the Neshaminy community," the district said in a news release. "If such a change is made, it will be in a way that honors the proud academic and sports traditions at Neshaminy and carefully plans the transition in such a way to meet the financial and practical needs of the district effectively."

Last week, Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder announced the organization was dropping the team name after 87 years.

The announcement came in the wake of racial justice protests across the nation and as a host of corporations announced changes to products deemed to have racially troublesome overtones. The Washington team had long been called upon to change its name by activists who noted that the name is a racial slur toward Native Americans.

The name has sparked controversy at Neshaminy as well.

Last year, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission voted 7-1 to allow the school to continue using the nickname, but to stop it from using logos and imagery that "negatively stereotype Native Americans."

The Neshaminy School District appealed that vote, arguing that the school was unfairly singled out and that the nickname has not harmed students or community residents of native descent.

"The Neshaminy community has overwhelmingly supported the Neshaminy Redskins moniker in the past," the district said in its recent statement. "Whether this support has changed given the recent events in our nation is yet to determined."

In Washington, Snyder, who had for years resisted calls to change the team's name, ultimately buckled to corporate and public pressure.

In early July, FedEx, which signed a $205 million stadium-naming deal with the team in 1999, asked that the name be changed. That led Snyder to announce the team was conducting a "thorough review."

Nike removed all of the team's merchandise from its online store and, along with PepsiCo. and Bank of America, released statements supporting a name change.

Then, retailers Amazon, Walmart and Target announced they were pulling gear with the team name and emblem from their websites.