An Oregon teacher has filed a complaint claiming a school district's new mascot is racist and violates rules prohibiting the use of Native American-themed images.
In 2016, the Marcola School District dropped its "Mohawk Indians" mascot and adopted the “Mustangs” instead.
In the complaint filed with the state Department of Education, Marcola fifth-grade teacher John Etheredge says the horse is "adorned with war paint, feathers, beads and a faux 'Mohawk'-style mane."
Etheredge says the district has simply taken the "same Native American images that were previously on a human head and placed them on a mustang's head."
Marcola District Superintendent Bill Watkins says the symbols on the mascot are used by cultures across the world, and the district has the right to use them.