Update: State school board approves deal on tribal mascots

BANKS, Ore. (AP) – The Oregon Board of Education has approved a contract between an Oregon school district and a tribe that allows district teams to remain the Braves.

Board officials voted unanimously Thursday for the agreement between the Banks School District and the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde.

The agreement lets the district keep the name “Braves,” but it must get rid of an “Indian head” logo.

It also calls for a history curriculum developed by the Grand Ronde to be taught in district classrooms.

School districts in the state with tribal mascots must do away with them by July 1 or risk punishment that could include the withholding of state funds. However, the state will make exceptions for districts that get the approval of one of Oregon’s nine tribes.

Education board Chairman Charles Martinez Jr. said the work done by the Banks district and the tribe sets the bar for seven other districts pursuing similar agreements with tribes.