Marcola teacher claims district’s mascot violates state rules

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) – An Oregon teacher has filed a complaint claiming a school district’s new mascot is racist and violates rules prohibiting the use of Native American-themed images.

The Register-Guard reports the Marcola School District had dropped its “Mohawk Indians” mascot in 2016 and later adopted mustangs as its mascot.

In the complaint filed with the Oregon Department of Education, Marcola fifth-grade teacher John Etheredge says the horse is “adorned with war paint, feathers, beads and a faux ‘Mohawk’-style mane.”

Etheredge says the district has simply taken the “same Native American images that were previously on a human head and placed them on a mustang’s head.”

Marcola District Superintendent Bill Watkins says the symbols on the mascot are used by cultures across the world, and the district has the right to use them.

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Information from: The Register-Guard, http://www.registerguard.com