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Killingly High School to retire Native American “Redmen” mascot

KILLINGLY — The Killingly Board of Education announced Friday they are welcoming community input in choosing a new mascot for Killingly High School. Accor...
School classroom with blackboard

KILLINGLY — The Killingly Board of Education announced Friday they are welcoming community input in choosing a new mascot for Killingly High School.

According to a statement released by the Board chairman, the school district is revisiting the issue of retiring the use of Native American imagery as a reference to its athletes, at the request of community members and student leaders.

The Board says it was never the district’s intention to disrespect Native American culture, however they believe it’s time to retire the “Redmen” mascot and begin a new tradition for KHS.

The school district also received requests from the Nipmuc Tribal Nation, Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and the Mohegan Youth Council requesting that they no longer use the culture’s imagery as their mascot.

The Board says that public confirmation from their Native American neighbors endorsed the motion to change the Killingly mascot.

“We believe that every student deserves a respectful learning environment in which their cultural, racial and ethnic diversity is valued and contributes to successful academic outcomes,” chairman John Burns wrote.

While the Board understands this is a personal topic for KHS alumni and supporters, the are hoping to work with the community to determine a new mascot.

You can share your ideas and suggestions in this online survey.

See the full statement from the Board of Education below.

Killingly BOE statement

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