A California Bay Area district board is being slammed over its costly decision to strip Concord High School of its long-standing mascot the "Minutemen."
Concord, a town roughly 30 miles outside of San Francisco, was named after Concord, Mass., the site of the famous Battles of Lexington and Concord during the America Revolutionary War. The high school is tossing the mascot named after the historic "Minutemen" who fought against the British in favor of the "Bears" following a 4-1 vote on Wednesday by the Mount Diablo Unified School District board.
"It’s disgusting to disrespect those who fought and sacrificed to defeat tyranny and ultimately found our great nation, and to add insult to injury, they’re replacing it with a meaningless and trite mascot that viciously murders small animals," reacted Matt Shupe, the Republican Party chairman of the Contra Costa County where the school is located.
"These woke schools need to prioritize teaching math, reading, and writing to catch up from the educational losses during the pandemic rather than spitting on the memories of our veterans," he added.
According to NBC Bay Area, the district has one year to implement the mascot change which is estimated to cost roughly $200,000, something Shupe called a "dramatic waste of money that has hundreds of better uses."
"If this school district were a business or non-profit you could sue them for defrauding the taxpayers for misuse of funds, violating donor intent," Shupe told Fox News Digital. "When people are asked and they support more funding for our education system, it’s with the intent of increasing the quality of the education provided, not deface our history and culture. The voters need to hold these extremist cultural activists parading as school board members accountable in November 2024."
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NBC Bay Area reported that the discussion to change the mascot began a year ago after the school district decided to "replace its human mascots with non-human mascots," which led to a student committee being formed tasked to find a new name. The committee reportedly "expressed concerns" about the mascot "showcasing a firearm," others wanted a name that was gender inclusive.
Linda Mayo, a member of the Mount Diable Unified School board said at the meeting "If changing a mascot will make students feel welcomed, embraced and empowered them to participate more at the school, then I will support this."
"I am all for supporting the students and the staff who worked so hard on this to help them reach their vision of welcoming inclusive campus for all," said Cherise Khaund, another board member.
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Matthew Dashner, a Concord High School alum, knocked the student committee for not being inclusive to those like him who did not want the mascot change, telling NBC Bay Area, "Before they make big board decisions like this, go and talk to students on campus and see what students really have to think."
His mother Lynette suggested the six-figure budget being allocated to the mascot change would be better spent elsewhere, adding, "The school is in disrepair. I mean there's dirt, rocks, squirrels all over the place."
Dr. Adam Clark, the superintendent of Mount Diablo Unified School District, defended the retirement of the Minutemen mascot, telling Fox News Digital it was "in response to the mass shootings and killings of students on school campuses" adding that the "male minutemen soldier holding a rifle was not a symbol many of our students and staff felt created a welcoming environment.
"I understand that there are alumni and community members who oppose the change. Their opinions and views have been heard on several occasions in open meetings. This decision was not made lightly and our focus has remained on current students. There is no disrespect to the Minutemen and their contribution to American history," Clark said.
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