There have been no formal complaints made about the Sachem or Flaming Arrows names or any use of the arrowhead logo in the school district, according to record requests with the New York State Governor’s Office, New York State Department of Education and Sachem Central School District.
Freedom of Information requests were filed with each municipality or government agency on May 1, 2023 on behalf of The Sachem Report. The time period of the request was from 2000 through 2023 and all three organizations said no complaints exist.
These requests were made as a follow up to the New York State Department of Education’s ban of Native American logos and names in 55 school districts, including Sachem.
The Board of Regents said they notified districts around 20 years ago of the proposed changes, and the records requests from that time period show no data to support making such a change. To include Sachem, its logo and team name on the list, one would expect there to be a formal and specific reason, but that is not the case.
The Governor’s office responded to the request within 24 hours and said, “The New York State Executive Chamber has conducted a diligent search of available records and did not locate records responsive to your request.”
The Department of Education responded within 72 hours and had no formal complaints about the Flaming Arrows or arrowhead logo on file. They also shared one letter from a Sachem community resident, who wrote, “I was a Sachem graduate and was taught that not only Sachem, but basically all of Long Island, has been proudly named after [Native Americans].”
Sachem Schools took the full 30 days to reply through the district clerk and said, “that no documents exist to satisfy your FOIL request.”
The Sachem Alumni Association was recently able to gain support from the Native American Guardians Association, who said that the use of the Flaming Arrows name and logo pay tribute to Native American culture and heritage.
“It’s an honor to say you want to use a symbol that connects to our culture,” said Eunice Davidson, the founding president of NAGA, a full-blood Dakota Sioux and member of the Spirit Lake Tribe from North Dakota. “It’s all in respect. It’s just a name and a symbol that recognizes our people. You guys respect it; you use it with honor to honor us.”
After voting unanimously in support of banning all names and logos, the New York State Board of Regents said school districts had until May 3 to present information to keep their community’s name or logo intact, which meant gathering approval from a federally funded tribe. There was also no formal appeal process. The state asked districts to enact a formal board vote about how they will treat the situation before June 30.
Sachem has yet to issue a public statement, but the Sachem Alumni Association and thousands of alumni and community residents have made it clear that removing any names or logos would be detrimental to the history and tradition of the school community. A petition was signed by 4,100 individuals in support of protecting Sachem’s name and identity.
There have also been no attempts by the New York State Department of Education to adjust curriculum related to Native American History, create any momentum to bring Native Americans into school buildings to help students more about this important aspect of American history or involve all stakeholders, including community representatives, in any discussions about the names or logos.