Bill > HB1987

This bill amends the Public School Code of 1949 to establish new regulations regarding school mascots that reference Native American tribes, individuals, customs, or traditions. Under the proposed legislation, schools can only use such mascots if they meet four specific requirements: obtaining written consent from a pre-1945 Native American rights organization, conducting school-wide Native American cultural programs twice per year, offering a course of study about Native American contributions to society, and filing an annual report with the State Board of Education detailing their Native American cultural and historical educational programs. Schools that fail to comply with these provisions will be ineligible to participate in Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) athletic contests. The bill broadly defines "school entity" to include school districts, intermediate units, area career and technical schools, charter schools, cyber charter schools, regional charter schools, and private schools. The legislation will take effect 60 days after its enactment, providing schools time to adapt to the new requirements and potentially modify their mascots or educational programming.

Education

https://www.palegis.us/legislation/bills/2025/hb1987