A school district in New York violated a federal civil rights law by changing its longstanding "Thunderbirds" mascot to the "T-Birds" to comply with a state ban on Native American imagery, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

The news comes after the Department's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) launched an investigation into Connetquot Central School District in 2025, accusing the District of violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The Department of Justice notes that Title VI prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin in education programs and activities receiving federal funding.

"Today, we found Connetquot Central School District in violation of Title VI for erasing its Native American heritage to comply with a discriminatory New York state regulation. We will not allow ideologues to decide that some mascots based on national origin are acceptable while others are banned," Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey said on Friday in a news release.

"Equal treatment under the law is non-negotiable. We expect the District to do the right thing and comply with our resolution agreement to voluntarily resolve its civil rights violation and restore the Thunderbirds’ rightful name. The Trump Administration will not relent in ensuring that every community is treated equally under the law," Richey added.

The OCR started the probe in July following a complaint alleging that the District "treated Native American mascots differently."

A few months prior, U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon visited Massapequa High School in Long Island, where she announced the OCR determined that the Board violated Title VI by banning the use of Native American mascots and logos by school districts across the state, including the Massapequa Chiefs.

“During my recent visit to New York, many individuals in the Native American community expressed deep pride in their heritage and local mascots. Images like the Thunderbirds and Chiefs are seen as symbols of strength, honor, and identity -- not of disrespect,” McMahon said in a separate release.

“The Department of Education has been clear with the state of New York: it is neither legal nor right to prohibit Native American mascots and logos while celebrating European and other cultural imagery in schools. New York’s patronizing attitude toward Native Americans must end. We will continue to support the Native American community and ensure their heritage is equally protected under the law," she added.

President Trump voiced his opinion on the topic last year in a Truth Social post.

"I agree with the people in Massapequa, Long Island, who are fighting furiously to keep the Massapequa Chiefs logo on their Teams and School,” Trump wrote on the social media platform in April.

"Forcing them to change the name, after all of these years, is ridiculous and, in actuality, an affront to our great Indian population," he added. "The School Board, and virtually everyone in the area, are demanding the name be kept. It has become the School’s identity and, what could be wrong with using the name, 'Chief'? I don’t see the Kansas City Chiefs changing their name anytime soon!"

According to the release, the District "prohibited names, mascots, or logos based on Native American race and national origin," but simultaneously allowed schools to use mascots "derived from different racial or ethnic groups, such as 'Dutchmen' and 'Huguenots,' thereby unlawfully implementing race- and national-origin-based classifications in education policy."

The release noted that the OCR told the District to enter into OCR’s proposed Resolution Agreement, which requires the District to reverse its "discriminatory erasure of Native American imagery by readopting the name 'Thunderbirds' for its sports teams and all associated logos and mascots."