School Board seeks study of mascot stereotypes

By KELLY RYAN

© St. Petersburg Times, published June 14, 2000

LARGO -- Seminole High School roots for the Warhawks. Osceola High fights for the Warriors.

Students all over Pinellas County are taught to be sensitive and tolerant of other cultures. On Tuesday, School Board members raised a potentially volatile question: Shouldn't their school mascots be equally politically correct?

Board members were inspired to talk about school mascots because of a presentation by the American Indian Movement of Florida. Two representatives of the group urged district leaders to use books written by Indians and to guard against stereotypical portrayals of Indians.

Board member Linda Lerner used that to spark discussion of a subject she said she has wanted to raise for 10 years.

"Stereotypes, Indians as mascots, are wrong," Lerner said. "I think we need to listen to what has been said."

Board members asked Superintendent Howard Hinesley to study how other school districts across the nation have handled mascots with names that could offend some people. He said he will present the information he gathers at a board workshop to be scheduled later.

Board members hope that they will be able use that information to devise a plan to educate school communities and perhaps guide them through a process of evaluating their mascots. Board members were careful to say that they are not -- at least now -- requiring any school to change.

But the issue, they said, deserves study.

"I think it's a very good idea," said board member Lee Benjamin. "How we approach it is going to be extremely important."

Of Pinellas County's 140 schools, only a small percentage have mascots that might be considered insensitive, district officials said. Many, especially at the elementary level, are named after sea animals, such as manatees.

Board members, thinking aloud, guessed that only two of the district's 16 high schools have mascots that gave them pause: Seminole's Warhawks (Lerner said the mascot is a hawk wearing a type of headdress) and Osceola's Warriors.

While the discussion was short, board members clearly were aware that they are walking into a sensitive arena.

Students and alumni guard their school colors and mascot with pride, saying their team name was not meant to offend. Rather, some say, they are meant to honor American Indians as proud and strong.

For decades, American Indians have protested the stereotypical way they are portrayed in sports logos, such as the Atlanta Braves and the Cleveland Indians. Rather than believing that such mascots are an honor, they say they are racist and create a hostile environment for American Indians.

The debate is not just about being sensitive to American Indians. What about a school that backs the Pirates? Is that offensive? What about how pirates treated women?

In Pinellas County, there has never before been an effort to study school mascots. The district does, however, provide multicultural training for teachers and administrators.

Board member Susan Latvala sees the mascot issue as an opportunity for the county to be proactive.

"Until it's brought to your attention," she said, "you just don't think about it."

In other news:

Despite weeks of debate and numerous changes already, an agreement with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund to limit the growth of charter schools still was not acceptable to board members. This is the last remaining issue for the board and the Legal Defense Fund, which reached an agreement last year to end court-ordered busing for desegregation.

Board members directed their attorney, John Bowen, to take several more changes to the Legal Defense Fund. Bowen was not sure how long it would take to schedule another negotiating session -- though it's unlikely to happen before a hearing Thursday in the desegregation case.

Board members approved a salary and benefits package for district employees that has been praised as the best in a decade. Under the contract for the 2000-2001 school year, teachers will earn an average 7.7 percent raise. Administrators will earn an average raise of 5.5 percent.

Albert Bennett, who was an assistant principal at St. Petersburg High School, was appointed principal of Riviera Middle School in St. Petersburg. Bennett replaces Carl Mostellar, who has retired after 38 years working for the school district.

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