SD 857 Massachusetts Senate · 193rd Legislature (2023-2024)

An Act prohibiting the use of Native American mascots by public schools in the Commonwealth

This bill directs the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to create rules banning public schools from using athletic team names, logos, or mascots that reference Native Americans or denigrate any racial, ethnic, gender, or religious group. The legislation requires schools currently using such imagery to select new alternatives by a specific deadline set by the board. While the ban applies to new team identities, schools are permitted to keep existing uniforms and materials if they stop purchasing new items with the prohibited names and remove the imagery from facilities during future maintenance. The law explicitly allows Native American tribes to use their own names for their sports teams and permits a public school to use a tribal name only if that specific tribe gives explicit consent.
Bill status Introduction 0 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor