It\u2019s a win for the Chiefs.<\/p>\n
New York State plans to drop part of its statewide ban on Native American imagery in school sports logos days before a court showdown with a Long Island district<\/a> fighting back.<\/p>\n The Board of Regents \u201cintends to repeal\u201d a section of its 2023 mandate that has prohibited \u201cschool officers and employees\u201d from \u201cutilizing or promoting any Indigenous name, logo, or mascot\u201d while on campus or at a school function, according to court documents reviewed by The Post.<\/p>\n Giovanni Tarasi, left, Dylan Milio, center, and Ryan Chablis, captains of the Massapequa High School Chiefs football team, take part in practice at Massapequa High School in Massapequa, N.Y., on Sept. 22, 2026. Stefano Giovannini for NY Post<\/p>\n New York State plans to drop part of its statewide ban on Native American imagery in school sports logos days before a court showdown with a Long Island district fighting back. Stefano Giovannini for NY Post<\/p>\n The move is a \u201chuge victory\u201d for Massapequa\u2019s school district, which is fighting the ban with the backing of the Trump administration to hold onto its Chiefs name and logo. <\/p>\n \u201cAfter years of fighting to keep the Chiefs, we\u2019re proud of this victory,\u201d Massapequa Board of Education President Kerry Wachter told The Post.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe encourage the Board of Regents to take the next step and repeal the regulation in its entirety. Once a Chief, always a Chief.\u201d<\/p>\n The Post reached out to the New York State Department of Education for comment.<\/p>\n Republican gubernatorial candidate and Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman (second from right) has also pledged to preserve the logo and name if elected. Nassau County<\/p>\n President Trump pledged his support to \u201cfight\u201d for Chiefs nation in 2025 with a Truth Social post that read \u201cLONG LIVE THE MASSAPEQUA CHIEFS!\u201d and posed in the Oval Office with a Massapequa sweatshirt. @realdonaldtrump<\/p>\n Massapequa was one of several districts that sued New York over the ban and accused the state of committing a civil rights violation in solely prohibiting Native American imagery but offering no restrictions of imagery related to any other ethnicity.<\/p>\n Non-compliant public schools have risked losing state funds over opposition, and Massapequa estimated it would cost nearly $1 million to rebrand away from its long-used name and logo.<\/p>\n Other Long Island school districts, like the neighboring Amityville Warriors, were priced out <\/a>of litigation as months dragged into years.<\/p>\n Students at Massapequa are also poking fun at the lengthy legal proceedings, with the senior class of 2027 making shirts that read \u201c2till 7he Chiefs!\u201d amid the ongoing standoff.<\/p>\n Highly anticipated legal arguments from both sides are set to begin on Nov. 4 but Massapequa\u2019s lawyer, Oliver Roberts, sees the initial rollback as a sign of what\u2019s to come.<\/p>\n \u201cThe State has realized that its attempts to erase Massapequa\u2019s history and tradition are patently unconstitutional,\u201d said the attorney, who was raised in town<\/a>.<\/p>\n President Trump pledged his support to \u201cfight\u201d for Chiefs nation<\/a> in 2025 with a Truth Social post that read \u201cLONG LIVE THE MASSAPEQUA CHIEFS!\u201d<\/a> and posed in the Oval Office with a Massapequa sweatshirt.<\/p>\n He assigned Education Secretary Linda McMahon to investigate the ban and, after visiting Massapequa High School in May that year, she turned over civil rights-related findings to the Justice Department<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n The anti-woke Native American Guardians Association also sued New York over the ban and is willing to take their case to the Supreme Court. <\/p>\n