New York won't rescind Native American mascot ban, despite Trump's threat of cutting federal funds

New York — New York education officials won't rescind the state's ban on Native American mascots and team names, despite threats from the Trump administration that it risks losing federal funding.

Instead, New York officials suggested in a letter to the U.S. Department of Education on Thursday that they could broaden the state ban to include names and mascots derived from other racial or ethnic groups that the department deems offensive.

The federal agency last week determined New York violated Title VI of the federal civil rights law by issuing a statewide ban on the use of Native American mascots and logos.

The department’s civil rights office found the state ban is discriminatory because names and mascots that are still permitted are also derived from other racial or ethnic groups,