TURNERS FALLS — School Superintendent Michael Sullivan has denounced the display of the “Tomahawk Chop” and a Native American headdress at the Thanksgiving football game and at pep rally the night before.
The actions distracted from a “great game” at a time the community is debating the appropriateness of the team’s Indians mascot, Sullivan said in a statement to the Gill-Montague School Committee and the media Monday.
The district isn’t taking any disciplinary action against the team or staff members, according to Sullivan.
He said the timing of the action shows that those who did it meant to send a message on the current debate about the school’s use of the mascot.
“… The wearing of the headdress (by the team water boys) and the public display of the chop and chant by the football team on this particular occasion, in the middle of a district review of the Indian logo/mascot, was clearly intended to send a message, a message many have found to be insensitive, offensive, and provocative,” the statement said. “This is unfortunate, as the district and school committee are working hard to set a tone of civility, respect, growth, and open dialogue during this challenging process. The further polarization caused by this event was counterproductive to these goals.”
Sullivan said the headdress first appeared at the pep rally the night before, and school officials knew that it was possible someone would show up at the game wearing it, but they expected it to be an adult, not someone affiliated with the school. School officials declined to intervene at the pep rally, because those not affiliated with the school aren’t governed by school rules. However, the person who wore the headdress at the game was younger, wore a team jersey and sat with the team. The school officials present decided not to intervene that night, according to the statement.
The next day, the headdress was worn by the waterboys on the sidelines and no one from the coaching staff asked it to be removed, according to Sullivan. According to the statement, the chant started inside the locker room and the team players then proceeded to do the chop as they were walking out. The statement said that according to head football coach Chris LaPointe, he directed the team to stop once they were out of the locker room.
LaPointe declined to comment on the statement.
Sullivan apologized on behalf of the district to anyone offended by the events. He also said the chop has been banned from school-sponsored groups since 2009, and that all groups will be expected to follow the ban.
“On behalf of the district I wish to apologize to those who were offended by the actions of some of the district’s students and the poor judgment of some of our staff,” the statement said. “Speaking for the district, I would like to state clearly that the performance of the chop and/or chant by any school teams, clubs, or groups is unacceptable and all staff in charge of such groups will be reminded of the school committee’s policy on this matter and their obligation to abide by it.”
Sullivan also called for more education about the issue for students.
“Moving forward, this event has shown that, should the Indian logo/mascot remain, the district will need to develop clearer related policies, rules, and expectations. Another, perhaps more important lesson here is that we have significant work to do in educating our students in the areas of multicultural and diversity education, regardless of any change in the logo/mascot.”