The Neshaminy School District's "Redskins" moniker and former mascot does not violate a Pennsylvania law that prohibits discrimination, a state appeals court has ruled.

 

The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania on Monday overturned a decision by the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission. Many groups and individuals consider the nickname to be racist, offensive and hurtful due to its history and origins.

 

The PHRC previously said Neshaminy could continue using the word Redskins so long as it also provided education regarding its "negative and positive attributes."

 

Among them, it is associated with the practice of scalping. For a time, the U.S. government paid monetary rewards for killing Native Americans and providing scalps as evidence.

 

The PHRC, in a ruling in November 2019, also also directed that the school district cease using “any and all logos and imagery in the Neshaminy High School that negatively stereotype Native Americans.”

 

The district appealed the decision, in part, saying it had received no clear guidance from the PHRC on what specific images it considers stereotypical or what curriculum changes need to be made regarding Native American education.