Hamilton’s public school board is tightening rules on school logos and nicknames following the recent controversy that prompted a failed legal bid to ban the Cleveland Indians from using their name and mascot when playing in Toronto.
Corporate communications manager Jackie Penman said staff updated the board’s visual identity policy after Premier Kathleen Wynne issued a memo asking boards to review their logos and nicknames to ensure they’re not offensive to members of the community.
Although it’s not the lone pro sports franchise to come under fire for perpetuating racist stereotypes, Cleveland’s name and mascot — a red-skinned cartoon character named Chief Wahoo — have long been criticized as offensive to Native Americans.
The board’s revised policy requires a school’s superintendent to approve any changes to its logo, mascot, colours or nickname.
Schools must also follow a new manual outlining a process for changes that includes consulting parents, staff and students beforehand, Penman told trustees in a presentation to their policy committee.
“We have found in the past that a principal goes to a school, decides they don’t like that particular logo and changes the logo, but we have no knowledge of it,” she said.
“Sometimes it’s just a graphic designer is a parent and they’ve changed the logo but haven’t involved the school.”
Penman said the issue of appropriate logos or nicknames has already arisen twice in recent years.
Sir John A Macdonald Secondary School’s sports teams, formerly known as The Chiefs, replaced their logo depicting a person with a headdress two years ago and scrapped the nickname this year without coming up with a new one.
The new logo is a large M with the school’s name running through it.
Penman said Parkdale Elementary School’s logo featuring a totem pole in front of a sun is also being reviewed because it’s not steeped in any indigenous history.
“There was a storm or a car that hit a hydro pole in front of the school and they turned the hydro pole into a totem pole,” she said. “That’s one of the logos that we’re looking to change.”
The updated policy’s list of guiding principles includes ensuring logos, colours and mascots reflect the board’s mission, commitment and priorities; inspire students; have community and district acceptance; and are inclusive and respectful of the whole district.
Penman said her department will design logos and mascots to ensure professional quality and avoid infringing on trademarks, as occurred when one school cribbed a U.S. college’s logo without permission.
Hamilton’s public school board is tightening rules on school logos and nicknames following the recent controversy that prompted a failed legal bid to ban the Cleveland Indians from using their name and mascot when playing in Toronto.
Corporate communications manager Jackie Penman said staff updated the board’s visual identity policy after Premier Kathleen Wynne issued a memo asking boards to review their logos and nicknames to ensure they’re not offensive to members of the community.
Although it’s not the lone pro sports franchise to come under fire for perpetuating racist stereotypes, Cleveland’s name and mascot — a red-skinned cartoon character named Chief Wahoo — have long been criticized as offensive to Native Americans.
The board’s revised policy requires a school’s superintendent to approve any changes to its logo, mascot, colours or nickname.
Schools must also follow a new manual outlining a process for changes that includes consulting parents, staff and students beforehand, Penman told trustees in a presentation to their policy committee.
“We have found in the past that a principal goes to a school, decides they don’t like that particular logo and changes the logo, but we have no knowledge of it,” she said.
“Sometimes it’s just a graphic designer is a parent and they’ve changed the logo but haven’t involved the school.”
Penman said the issue of appropriate logos or nicknames has already arisen twice in recent years.
Sir John A Macdonald Secondary School’s sports teams, formerly known as The Chiefs, replaced their logo depicting a person with a headdress two years ago and scrapped the nickname this year without coming up with a new one.
The new logo is a large M with the school’s name running through it.
Penman said Parkdale Elementary School’s logo featuring a totem pole in front of a sun is also being reviewed because it’s not steeped in any indigenous history.
“There was a storm or a car that hit a hydro pole in front of the school and they turned the hydro pole into a totem pole,” she said. “That’s one of the logos that we’re looking to change.”
The updated policy’s list of guiding principles includes ensuring logos, colours and mascots reflect the board’s mission, commitment and priorities; inspire students; have community and district acceptance; and are inclusive and respectful of the whole district.
Penman said her department will design logos and mascots to ensure professional quality and avoid infringing on trademarks, as occurred when one school cribbed a U.S. college’s logo without permission.
Hamilton’s public school board is tightening rules on school logos and nicknames following the recent controversy that prompted a failed legal bid to ban the Cleveland Indians from using their name and mascot when playing in Toronto.
Corporate communications manager Jackie Penman said staff updated the board’s visual identity policy after Premier Kathleen Wynne issued a memo asking boards to review their logos and nicknames to ensure they’re not offensive to members of the community.
Although it’s not the lone pro sports franchise to come under fire for perpetuating racist stereotypes, Cleveland’s name and mascot — a red-skinned cartoon character named Chief Wahoo — have long been criticized as offensive to Native Americans.
The board’s revised policy requires a school’s superintendent to approve any changes to its logo, mascot, colours or nickname.
Schools must also follow a new manual outlining a process for changes that includes consulting parents, staff and students beforehand, Penman told trustees in a presentation to their policy committee.
“We have found in the past that a principal goes to a school, decides they don’t like that particular logo and changes the logo, but we have no knowledge of it,” she said.
“Sometimes it’s just a graphic designer is a parent and they’ve changed the logo but haven’t involved the school.”
Penman said the issue of appropriate logos or nicknames has already arisen twice in recent years.
Sir John A Macdonald Secondary School’s sports teams, formerly known as The Chiefs, replaced their logo depicting a person with a headdress two years ago and scrapped the nickname this year without coming up with a new one.
The new logo is a large M with the school’s name running through it.
Penman said Parkdale Elementary School’s logo featuring a totem pole in front of a sun is also being reviewed because it’s not steeped in any indigenous history.
“There was a storm or a car that hit a hydro pole in front of the school and they turned the hydro pole into a totem pole,” she said. “That’s one of the logos that we’re looking to change.”
The updated policy’s list of guiding principles includes ensuring logos, colours and mascots reflect the board’s mission, commitment and priorities; inspire students; have community and district acceptance; and are inclusive and respectful of the whole district.
Penman said her department will design logos and mascots to ensure professional quality and avoid infringing on trademarks, as occurred when one school cribbed a U.S. college’s logo without permission.