Exclusive | Feds launch discrimination probe against NY officials after Trump backs Massapequa Chiefs name

WASHINGTON — The federal Department of Education launched a “race-based discrimination” probe Friday into New York state officials after President Trump rallied to the defense of a Long Island school district’s “Massapequa Chiefs” nickname, The Post has learned.The investigation will review whether the Board of Regents of the New York Department of Education is violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bars discrimination based on race and national origin by recipients of federal funds, with its ban on schools using Native American names and imagery.“The US Department of Education will not stand by as the state of New York attempts to rewrite history and deny the town of Massapequa the right to celebrate its heritage in its schools,” said Education Secretary Linda McMahon. “While New York chooses to prioritize erasing Native Americans, their rich history, and their deep connection the state, it is requiring schools to divert time and resources away from what really matters: educating our students,” McMahon said.“It is not lost on the Department that there are several mascots that refer to indigenous or ethnic groups – the Vikings, Fighting Irish, the Cowboys – and yet New York has specifically singled out Native American heritage.We will investigate this matter fully.” The investigation comes after the Native American Guardians Association — a North Dakota-based advocacy group — filed a complaint with the Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights alleging that New York officials were violating federal law.The association, which has defended professional sports teams and other schools with tribal names and logos, said that New York “is solely targeting Native American groups and images by attempting to eliminate them from athletic contests” and that “[t]he decision to single out Native Americans as a class of people that cannot be represented in public school imagery is per se discriminatory.”Frank Blac...