CANDOR, NY (WIVT/WBGH) – While many New York school districts have taken steps to retire their Indigenous, mascots, names and logos, roughly 55 schools, including some locally, still need to make a change.

Late last year, the State Department of Education informed all districts that they have until the end of the year to commit to replacing all Indigenous names, mascots, and logos by the end of the 2024-25 school year.

Along with Owego-Apalachin, Candor is another local school district that will need to make a change.

Candor’s Superintendent, Brent Suddaby released a statement in March that says a committee comprised of 38 students, alumni, board members, and stakeholders will make recommendations about the process moving forward.

He says the committee has considered questions such as, should the new mascot be connected to local roots? And, should the logo depict an animal, an object, or “thing?”

There was wide agreement that Candor’s colors will remain blue and white.

The district brought in Diane Shenandoah, whose mom was a Clan Mother of Oneida Nations’s Wolf Clan, to give presentations to the committee to better understand local Indigenous culture.

You can share feedback by emailing Holly Carling.

Her address is hcarling@candorcs.org and put Mascot in the subject line.