pdf, 2.0mb - Public Schools of North Carolina

APPENDIX A
American Indian Mascots, Descriptors, and Nicknames
in Public Schools Across North Carolina
In February 2002, the NC State Advisory Council on Indian Education passed a resolution calling
for the elimination of American Indian mascots and related imagery in North Carolina’s public
schools. In its resolution, the Council stressed that American Indian descriptions naming
mascots, logos and sports team nicknames are detrimental to the achievement, self-identity,
self-concept, and self-esteem of American Indian students, and that they work contrary to both
the State Board of Education’s strategic priority to ensure that schools provide a welcoming,
caring, and inviting place for student learning and the strategic priority that all students achieve
high performance in schools. The State Board of Education approved a recommendation
in June 2002 strongly encouraging all educators in the public schools of North Carolina to
educate themselves on the educational, curricular, and psychological effects of using
American
Indian sport mascots and logos. In addition, the State Board agreed that all public school
administrators and local boards of education should review their policies and procedures
toward the use of American Indian sport mascots, logos, and other demeaning imagery.
In the past year, local boards of education across the state including districts such as Guilford
County and Charlotte-Mecklenburg have reviewed and revised their policies for using American
Indians or other existing ethnic groups as mascots, nicknames, or descriptors for school-related
teams, clubs and organizations. In its February 2004 meeting, the NC State Advisory Council on
Indian Education publicly commended these school districts for their responsive and definitive
action. The Council agreed that local education agencies across the state should encourage
continued commitment to their local plans of action aimed at increasing administrator, teacher,
and student understanding of the negative impact of American Indian mascots and related
imagery. At the direction of the State Board in 2002, the Council will request that districts still
using American Indian mascots and related imagery to promptly examine their policies and
the impact of those policies on the attitudes, cultural sensitivity, and cultural understanding of
both American Indian students and non-Indian students enrolled in their schools. The Council
will provide a report on the status following the districts’ reporting.
American Indian Studies Elective and Professional
Development for Teachers
The State Board of Education approved the creation of an American Indian Studies elective
for public high school students. The elective is part of the state curriculum and can be offered
in any high school in North Carolina by decision of the local school board. The American
Indian Studies elective covers the histories, cultures, and oral literary traditions of the tribes
native to North Carolina. American Indians are also increasingly visible in grades K-8 of the
Standard Course of Study, the state defined curriculum.
The existence of an American Indian Studies elective for high school students has created an
immediate need for curricular resources and teacher training. A number of professional development
opportunities have been created across the state, but as yet, there is no coordination
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