SKOWHEGAN, Maine — The Skowhegan School Board voted Thursday evening to retire the "Indian" mascot and name.
The vote came in at 14 to nine.
MSAD 54 Superintendent Brent Colbry told NEWS CENTER that the school board had entered into a workshop during their March 7 meeting to discuss the topic. Colbry added that all members of the board had the chance to speak and that the discussion was "cordial." There was no public comment during the meeting.
Following the workshop, a motion was placed on the floor by board member Sarah Bunker, and seconded by member Derek Ellis, for the school board to vote on the topic -- and the decision to retire the 'Indian' mascot was passed.
The MSAD 54 school board will soon be focusing efforts on how to address having a new mascot.
"There’s a lot of physical things that need to be changed -- the gym floor, the signage. Just a lot of stuff that needs to happen," said Ellis.
Superintendent Colbry also added that there has not yet been any discussion of a new mascot. Colbry plans to address how he and the board may handle deciding on a new mascot and how to update the public on its status.
Colbry and Ellis also stressed a main focus of the board will now be on the school budget for the next school year.
Ellis hopes that as the school board moves forward in mascot discussion, the current students at Skowhegan Area High School have voice in the discussion.
"The students can participate in a lot of the physical properties there -- the signs, some of the murals inside the school," said Ellis. "I think moving forward we need to set up something structured that allows every student in that school a chance to participate."
Earlier this week, the Maine Department of Education released a statement regarding the use of mascots or logos that depict Native American culture:
"Because our schools must provide safe, inclusive, and respectful learning environments, and because schools teach many lessons by example, DOE urges schools to refrain from using mascots and logos that depict Native American tribes, individuals, customs, or traditions."
The statement continued:
"While we recognize that DOE does not have jurisdiction over local decisions like these, we encourage schools and communities to consider the impact of promoting symbols and stereotypes that marginalize individuals or groups of people."
The debate around Skowhegan's mascot has been a heated topic of discussion for years -- as early as the 1990s.
In May of 2015, the School Administrative District 54 school board voted on this issue, but the outcome was 11 to nine against changing the name. This was the second time the nickname controversy had been brought to a school board vote since the early 2000s.
The issue resurfaced in December of 2018 after letters from the ACLU of Maine and then Governor-elect Janet Mills prompted discussion at a school board meeting.
Following the March 7 vote to retire the mascot and name, ACLU Director of Communications & Public Education Rachel Healy released a statement:
"This is an historic moment for Skowhegan and our state. We are thrilled that majority of Skowhegan’s school board members listened to the people who were being hurt and did the right thing. By retiring the harmful mascot, the town of Skowhegan is forging a bold new legacy of leadership."