About 30 Wisconsin School Districts Drop Indian Names For Mascots

USA Today (10/7, Keen) reports that a Wisconsin law that began taking effect in May, "allows school district residents to lodge complaints against race-based names." After a complaint is filed, the state Department of Public Instruction "holds a hearing" and "districts can argue that a name isn't discriminatory if they have a tribe's approval." Since the law has been in effect, says Barbara Munson, chair of a Wisconsin Indian Education Association task force on mascots and logos, "about 30 school districts use Indian names and about 30 dropped them voluntarily." The decision has not been easy for some. The Kewaunee School Board, for instance, "intended to fight" a complaint filed against its mascot. Eventually, the school board "changed its mind...and decided to voluntarily drop the name." According to Munson, resistance on the issue "is a failure of mainstream American culture to deal with stereotyping."