The House on Thursday gave final approval to a bill that will ban the use of most Indian mascots and nicknames in Colorado public schools, colleges and universities. Barring any
The House on Thursday gave final approval to a bill that will ban the use of most Indian mascots and nicknames in Colorado public schools, colleges and universities. Barring any last-minute concerns from the Senate on amendments, it will head to Gov. Jared Polis desk.
Senate Bill 116 was amended by the House Education Committee during its trip through the lower chamber, stripping the ability of citizens to challenge the law through a citizen initiative. The bill now has a safety clause, meaning it goes into effect upon signature of the governor.
The committee, however, did soften the blow for the nearly two dozen public schools that use Indian mascots and that are not part of cooperative agreements with Native American tribes. The expense of replacing sports uniforms, painted symbols on gym floors and the like has been cited as a burden to their budgets, so the committee added an amendment to allow those schools to tap the Build Excellent Schools Today fund.
Monycka Snowbird, left, argues against keeping the Cheyenne Mountain Indians mascot with a supporter, who declined to give her name, outside the Cheyenne Mountain School District 12 board work session in the fall of 2020. Snowbird and the other indigenous people who attended the protest felt the mascot is racists against their heritage. Supporters of the mascot said the Indians mascot was an honor and full of school tradition. About 50 people lined the street outside the school district’s administration building. (Gazette file photo)
Gazette file
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