SALAMANCA — Families and residents in the Salamanca City Central School District will have at least five opportunities in the coming weeks to share their thoughts on the district logo and name going forward.

Following a November 2022 memo from New York State Education Department requiring schools to cease using Native American names and imagery in logos and mascots or lose millions in funding, Salamanca and Seneca Nation officials began their own discussions on whether or not the district should retire the Warriors name and Seneca male logo.

Meetings for the public will be held on four successive Wednesdays beginning Jan. 25.

At the Jan. 10 Board of Education meeting, Dr. Mark Beehler, district superintendent, said Salamanca is eligible to apply for a waiver to continue using its present name and logo, but the district is not planning to immediately do that.

“We’re looking at this as an opportunity to reflect on our current identity and the logos that we use,” he said. “What is the identity of Salamanca High School going to be moving forward? Are we going to stay the Warriors? Are we going to keep the logo we have right now?”

Beehler said he met with the Allegany Indigenous Youth Coalition to discuss the matter and planned to meet with the high school student government with the intent to organize several opportunities for student input as well.

“This is something that affects you, especially if you have younger siblings,” he told the students attending the school board meeting. “We’re going to have organized opportunities during the school day so that you and other students can share your feelings on this particular topic.”

Specific dates and times will be released following more organization by the youth coalition and student government, Beehler said.

“Based upon the input and feedback, we may continue these moving forward until everyone has the opportunity to be heard,” Beehler said. “They will be held for community members and residents with the Salamanca school district at this time.”

Following the education department’s announcement, Nation President Rickey Armstrong, Sr. said the decision is a positive step whose time has long since come.

“Names and imagery that mock, degrade and devalue Native heritage, culture and people have no place in our society,” he said. “The historic decimation of Native people should not be celebrated in any fashion or used as a community rallying cry, especially in the realm of education.”

Salamanca’s current Warrior logo dates back to the 1970s when Seneca artist Carson Waterman designed it as a replacement for the previous logo that showed a Native American wearing a headdress closer to what a western tribe would wear.

In December, Beehler said both the Nation and district were on the same page, adding the school understands and supports the state’s directive.

“We believe (the current logo) is a representation of the heritage and culture that we support and try to provide education for,” he added. “If we continue to utilize the logo, I hope that, through this process, we will have a better understanding of how it should be used and where we want to have it be seen.”

Meanwhile, also in December, a new logo in line with a consistent brand for the Salamanca school district was unveiled. The new logo and monogram letter mark, represented by the “S” in Salamanca, is not meant to replace the Warrior name and Seneca logo presently used by the district.

All public hearings will be available through Zoom, Facebook Live and will be recorded. In order to ensure these sessions are conducted in a thoughtful and civil manner, it will be necessary for attendees to register for the event.

Registration will be capped at 50 to ensure that each individual will have an opportunity to be heard.

Over the next week, an electronic survey will also be available for those individuals who wish to participate but do not wish to attend a public meeting. At this time there is no time frame to reach resolution. It is the goal of the district to gather as much input as possible.

Schedule of public sessions:

• Jan. 25: 1-3 p.m.

• Feb. 1: 6-8 p.m.

• Feb. 8: 1-3 p.m.

• Feb. 8: 6-8 p.m.

• Feb. 15: 6-8 p.m.