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In a letter to the community on Wednesday, March 12, Port Jervis City School District Superintendent John J. Bell confirmed the decision, stating that the district will not select a new team name at this time.
The "Raiders" name and mascot logo will be dropped as of Monday, June 30, Bell wrote.
In his letter, Bell explained several reasons behind the decision to remain without a new team name for now, including:
- Lack of strong support for any new name among students;
- Ongoing frustration within the community regarding the New York State Education Department regulation requiring the change;
- Legislative efforts to challenge or modify the ruling, as it is a regulation rather than a law;
- Pending lawsuits related to the ban on Native American-related mascots and team names.
Despite ongoing debates and legal challenges, Port Jervis will officially retire the "Raiders" name to protect the district’s $65 million in annual state funding.
"A common-sense approach would have been to allow schools to keep their team names and require them to eliminate any Native American/Indigenous symbols or imagery. We hope this will happen in the future," Bell added.
For now, Port Jervis teams will move forward without a new identity, with officials stating they will continue to monitor any changes in state policy before deciding on a new name.
This is a developing story. Check back to Daily Voice for updates.
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