Tensions Rise in Connetquot Over Mascot Controversy
A recent school board meeting in Connetquot escalated into a heated dispute as a trustee accused her peers of attempting to orchestrate a secretive agreement to alter the team’s Thunderbirds name. She also claimed that vital information was being withheld from the public.
"In my two years on the board, I have never encountered such blatant corruption aimed at fulfilling personal agendas," Trustee Jacquelyn DiLorenzo asserted during the July assembly on Long Island.
"I cannot, in good conscience, support a decision that might deprive future boards and generations of their agency to chart their own course," she continued.
The district is facing scrutiny from state officials following a 2023 statewide prohibition on Native American mascots and logos, a ban the district initially contested alongside other Long Island schools. Non-compliance could lead to loss of state funding and removal of board members.
Recently, however, Connetquot communicated with the state Education Department, revealing it had been setting aside a minimum of $23 million for a logo change since around 2020.
In late June, board members proposed to shorten Thunderbirds to T-Birds, a compromise that emerged just days before Secretary of Education Linda McMahon announced a federal investigation into the arrangement, which may contravene Title VI of the federal Civil Rights Act.
Trustee Jaquelyn Napolitano-Furno, who resigned this month after six years on the board, expressed her outrage over the under-the-table agreement, citing that T-Birds had previously been deemed an unacceptable alternative.
"The mascot controversy is erupting in Connetquot as the school board chose to disregard the community’s wishes," Napolitano-Furno stated.
"For four years, T-Birds was deemed derogatory; now it’s suddenly acceptable," she added.
DiLorenzo emphasized "multiple community surveys" indicating taxpayer support for continuing to fight the ban rather than complying. Both she and Napolitano-Furno criticized the board for withholding this data last month, condemning the lack of transparency surrounding the financial issue.
According to DiLorenzo, the board’s motivation lies in "protecting their positions."
In late June, Napolitano-Furno revealed that at least one survey indicated 60% of residents preferred to pursue legal action for Thunderbirds.
"Even worse, the board disregarded the other survey suggestions because they contradicted their predetermined narrative," DiLorenzo noted. "They sought your feedback through surveys they never planned to honor—unless the findings provided them political cover."
DiLorenzo also mentioned that Napolitano-Furno—currently an individual plaintiff in a lawsuit to keep the Thunderbirds name—has faced significant pressure from the board to withdraw her case in order to advance the T-Bird compromise.
"The pressure was relentless, even during her daughter’s graduation," DiLorenzo remarked, indicating her own support for retaining Thunderbirds.
During the July meeting, Napolitano-Furno learned that an emergency session would have been convened in June to finalize the deal if she had altered her stance.
"It is disgraceful and sad to see Connetquot clearly violating Title VI," expressed Napolitano-Furno’s attorney, Oliver Roberts.
DiLorenzo, who has advocated fiercely for the release of survey data, insists that public involvement is essential in any decision-making process.
"If a change becomes necessary, it must be made with full community participation," she asserted. “Not through secretive agreements.”
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