Trustee says federal officials found the mascot change violated Title VI

What happened

At the March 10, 2026 meeting a trustee said (this is the trustee's account; the federal finding itself was not collected) that the U.S. Department of Education found on Jan. 22, 2026 that the district violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act by complying with New York's ban on Native American mascots. The board had listed 'Mascot - OCR Title 6' for closed session on Feb. 10. The trustee put costs tied to moving away from the 'Thunderbirds' name and imagery near $23.9 million, mostly long-term facilities work; administrators answered that much of it was building and uniform replacement already due.

Why it matters to families

A federal civil-rights finding adds legal cost and uncertainty about school names, logos and uniforms. The legal details are being handled in closed session, and the records we collected do not say what remedy was ordered.

The evidence

March 10 recording: trustee reads the Jan. 22, 2026 finding date and a cost total of $23,894,652.71 (including $167,255.72 uniforms, $70,895.93 legal, $36,516 recent transfer); an administrator says the $23M is bond-project spending over 8-10 years. Feb. 10 agenda and minutes: executive session topic 'Mascot - OCR Title 6'. The U.S. Department of Education press release title is 'Finds Connetquot Central School District Violated Title VI by Complying with Native American Mascot Ban'. Dollar totals are one trustee's figures.

The source