Illinois House committee approves bill banning Native American school mascots, logos

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — A plan in Springfield to ban schools from using Native American names, logos and mascots is heading to the House floor.

This legislation would apply to schools using the team names Redskins, Braves, Chiefs, Chieftains, Tribe, Indians or any synonymous term, logo or mascot depicting Native Americans. Feathered headdresses, tomahawks, arrowheads or spears, arrows and other weapons combined with feathers would also prohibited as logos.

The proposal would allow schools to use uniforms or other materials with Native American mascots until September 1, 2028 if the school selects a new logo and mascot that does not violate the prohibition and stops selling school merchandise with the racist logo immediately.

Schools whose team name is the name of a federally recognized tribe or historical Native American person could be required to receive written consent from the tribe to continue using the name, logo and mascot. The consent must also include a description of the partnership with the federally recognized tribe to provide deep, meaningful, and substantive learning opportunities as well as school policies that ensure blatant, stereotypical, Native American names, slurs, imagery or caricatures or fake Native American behaviors are not allowed in learning environments.

Sponsors and advocates explained the written consent must be renewed every five years. If either party wished to terminate the agreement, schools would have one year to discontinue their use of the native name, logo or mascot.

"It's also not about polls, popularity, contests, anecdotes, tradition, honor, DEI, wokeness, or political correctness," said Andrew Johnson, Executive Director of the Native American Chamber of Commerce of Illinois.

The Illinois Association of School Boards is currently opposed to the bill, as they argued it would be an expensive mandate for over 50 high schools across the state.

IASB Associate Executive Director Sarah Miller said multiple states that passed similar plans created advisory councils to work with their state boards of education to address concerns.

"I know there's an exemption where there can't be any monetary donation from a PTO or outside counsel," Miller said. "I, of course, understand the intent behind that, but we really can only be responsible for what the school board does. We can't be responsible for what booster and outside nonprofits do on their own."

House Bill 1237 passed out of the House Education Policy Committee on a partisan 9-4 vote. It now moves to the House floor for further consideration.

Rep. Maurice West (D-Rockford) committed to continuing negotiations with school board leaders and Native American advocates.