Massapequa is among several Long Island districts that could lose state funding if they keep Native American mascots.

For Native American students, exposure to Native American mascots reduces self-esteem, their ability to imagine future accomplishments, and belief that Native American communities can make a difference, according to Laurel Davis-Delano, a professor of sociology at Springfield College who has studied the effect of such imagery on students .

The four holdout districts filed a lawsuit against the mascot ban in 2023. U.S. Chief District Judge Margo K. Brodie dismissed the lawsuits last month on the grounds the districts did not have the capacity to sue the state and lacked sufficient evidence to bolster their claims, Newsday reported at the time.