Agenda Item
a. Renaming of the Mascot at Cross Keys High School ~ Update 6.5.2024
Summary: Presented by: Ms. Whitney McGinniss, Board Member, District 2
Request: It is requested that the Board of Education approve the renaming of the mascot at Cross Keys High School from the Indians to the Phoenix.
Why: The stakeholders of Cross Keys High School requested that the mascot be renamed to remove the current mascot the Indian. The current mascot is deemed offensive to the prominent demographic of the school and the community it serves.
Details: The committee, led by Board member Ms. Whitney McGinniss, was composed of the required Board members and District and School leaders. Additionally, teachers, parents, community members and a student were a part of the committee. There were a total of 15 members on the committee.
The committee met on the following dates:
January 30, 2024
March 6, 2024
April 10, 2024
May 13, 2024
*Public input meeting was March 6, 2024
Financial impact: Areas impacted by the mascot renaming included, but not limited to athletics, band uniforms, murals, and miscellaneous will be reflected in the modernization of Cross Keys High School. Items such as letterhead and stationery are estimated be a small cost that could be absorbed by the local school budget.
Contact: Ms. Whitney McGinniss, Board Member, District 2, 678-676-0722
Dr. Triscilla Weaver, Area Superintendent for Horizon Schools, Division of Schools & Leadership, 678-676-2845
Effective: Upon Board Approval, the Horizon Area will work with appropriate divisions for the renaming of the mascot.
Area Superintendent – Horizon Schools
May 22, 2024
To: Board of Education Members
From: Triscilla Weaver, Area Superintendent – Horizon Schools
Through: Dr. Devon Q. Horton, Superintendent
Subject: Recommendation for the name change of the mascot for Cross Keys High School
At the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year, Cross Keys High School stakeholders presented a request
for consideration to rename the school’s mascot. The current mascot is the Indians. Students, staff,
parents, and alumni expressed concerns that the current mascot is an inaccurate and unacceptable
name for Indigenous people and that the current mascot can lead to offensive stereotypes. Additionally,
nearly 90% of the students are Hispanic, and the translation of the word Indian is problematic in some
Spanish dialects.
The renaming of the mascot was an agenda item at the April 12, 2023, faculty meeting and the May 9,
2023, PAC meeting. Focus groups were conducted with several classes of students in April and May
2023. The feedback obtained further showed a strong community interest in the renaming of the
mascot.
According to Board Policy FDC-R1 (Naming Facilities), a committee was selected based on the protocol
for changing the name of a mascot. The process was followed. The committee convened four times over
four months. Stakeholders were given multiple opportunities to submit names for the committee to
review. After reviewing several submissions, the committee solicited public feedback on the final
selections. Once the top three names were selected, the community voted electronically or through
paper ballot.
As a result, this is the final recommendation for the DeKalb County School Board to consider for the new
mascot of Cross Keys High School is the Phoenix.
We are requesting that the Board of Education approve the new mascot name.
Area Superintendent – Horizon Schools
Robert R. Freeman Administrative Complex
1701 Mountain Industrial Blvd. | Stone Mountain, GA 30083
678.676.1200 | www.dekalbschoolsga.org