Melanie Lekocevic is reporting for Capital Region Independent Media residents of New York have until February 28 to submit comments on the State Education Department's regulation requiring school districts to retire Native American team names, mascots and imagery. The state Education Department on November 17 issued a memo banning these types of mascots, such as the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk Indians, and threatened districts that fail to make the change with the loss of state funding. For Ravena-Coeymans, it could mean losing roughly $26 million in state aid. Districts that fail to comply would also see the removal of school officers. The state is giving residents until February 28 to submit their comments on the issue to the Board of Regents. The RCS district intends to change the team name and mascot as required by the state, Superintendent Brian Bailey said at the January meeting of the board of education. The district is planning to form a committee to address the issue after additional information is provided by the state. In 2001, the state voiced opposition to the use of Native American symbols or depictions as mascots. Some schools in New York complied over the ensuing years while others did nothing. Read more at TheUpStater [dot] com.