Native American Mascots Banned in Oregon Schools

Eight Oregon high schools will have to retire their Native American mascots after the Board of Education voted yesterday to prohibit them. In doing so, the board gave the state some of the nation's toughest restrictions on Native American mascots, nicknames, and logos. The schools have five years to comply with the order or risk losing their state funding.

Another seven high schools identified as the Warriors will be allowed to keep their nickname but will have to change mascots or graphics that depict Native Americans. An unknown number of elementary and middle schools also will be affected. The ban doesn't apply to colleges, but none in Oregon have Native American mascots after Southern Oregon University and Chemeketa Community College dropped them. (More Oregon stories.)