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Assembly Bill A7407

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Permits public schools to utilize or display indigenous names

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2025-A7407 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Senate Version of this Bill:
S6974
Current Committee:
Assembly Education
Law Section:
Education Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §305, Ed L

2025-A7407 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Permits public schools to utilize or display indigenous names.

2025-A7407 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf 

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   7407
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                              March 25, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by M. of A. BRABENEC -- read once and referred to the Commit-
   tee on Education
 
 AN  ACT  to  amend  the  education law, in relation to permitting public
   schools to utilize or display indigenous names
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

   Section 1. Section 305 of the education law is amended by adding a new
 subdivision 63 to read as follows:
   63.  (A)  AS  USED IN THIS SUBDIVISION, THE FOLLOWING TERMS SHALL HAVE
 THE FOLLOWING MEANINGS:
   (I) "INDIGENOUS NAMES" MEANS A NAME THAT DEPICTS OR REFERS TO  INDIGE-
 NOUS  PERSONS,  TRIBES, NATIONS, INDIVIDUALS, CUSTOMS, SYMBOLS OR TRADI-
 TIONS, INCLUDING ACTUAL OR STEREOTYPICAL ASPECTS OF INDIGENOUS CULTURES,
 USED TO REPRESENT A PUBLIC SCHOOL'S EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES,  INCLUD-
 ING BUT NOT LIMITED TO SUCH SCHOOL'S SPORTS TEAMS.
   (II)  "INDIGENOUS  LOGOS  OR  MASCOTS"  MEANS  A  SYMBOL OR IMAGE THAT
 DEPICTS OR REFERS TO INDIGENOUS PERSONS, TRIBES,  NATIONS,  INDIVIDUALS,
 CUSTOMS,  SYMBOLS,  OR  TRADITIONS,  INCLUDING  ACTUAL  OR STEREOTYPICAL
 ASPECTS OF INDIGENOUS CULTURES, USED  TO  REPRESENT  A  PUBLIC  SCHOOL'S
 EXTRACURRICULAR  ACTIVITIES,  INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO SUCH SCHOOL'S
 SPORTS TEAMS.
   (B) THE COMMISSIONER SHALL ADOPT REGULATIONS TO ALLOW  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS
 TO  UTILIZE  OR  DISPLAY AN INDIGENOUS NAME AND SHALL REPEAL ANY RULE OR
 REGULATION INCONSISTENT WITH ALLOWING SUCH USE. NOTHING IN THIS SUBDIVI-
 SION SHALL PROHIBIT THE COMMISSIONER FROM ADOPTING  ANY  RULE  OR  REGU-
 LATION  PROHIBITING  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS  FROM  UTILIZING  OR  DISPLAYING AN
 INDIGENOUS LOGO OR MASCOT OTHER THAN FOR PURPOSES OF CLASSROOM  INSTRUC-
 TION.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD11149-01-5

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