Kansas commission favors end to Native American mascots in public schools 1350kman.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from 1350kman.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Kansas school districts find changing offensive mascots costs money High schools in Shawnee Mission and Wichita have recently changed their mascots, retiring long-time names that traded on American Indian heritage. Above, the word Redskins on Wichita North High s basketball court will be painted over after the district dropped the controversial name. Photo credit Suzanne Perez/Kansas News Service.
Some Kansas schools are starting to find out.
Wichita school board members voted in February to get rid of the controversial Redskins mascot at North High School.
They learned recently that replacing athletic uniforms, painting over a gym floor and retrofitting the marching band could cost upward of $400,000.
Wichita North High School will no longer be the Redskins.
The school board voted 6-0 Monday night to drop the controversial mascot at the recommendation of a committee formed last summer.
Board member Stan Reeser said that although the name was well-intentioned when the school was founded in 1929, it’s clearly become a slang term with racial overtones and derogatory meaning.
The school will now be referred to simply as Wichita North High School. Its logo a shield, drum and feather will remain the same.
The mascot committee, led by the district s executive director of public affairs and special projects Terrell Davis, presented a total of four recommendations: