Clairemont High gets a new mascot, replacing Chieftains with Captains

Clairemont High School’s new mascot will be the Captains, after a name change process prompted by a state law addressing names and mascots derogatory to Native Americans.

The San Diego Unified School District board voted unanimously Tuesday evening to change the mascot from the Chieftains.

The choice of Captains pays homage to the school’s history in a military community, said Trustee Sabrina Bazzo, whose area includes Clairemont High, on Monday.

“It represents leadership and inclusivity,” she said.

A 2024 state law bars public schools, other than tribal ones, from using “derogatory Native American terms” for schools, mascots, names or nicknames. The ban takes effect in July.

“For purposes of this section, ‘derogatory Native American term’ includes, but is not necessarily limited to, Apaches, Big Reds, Braves, Chiefs, Chieftains, Chippewa, Comanches, Indians, Savages, Squaw and Tribe,’” the law says.

In San Diego Unified, the district’s Indian Education Program also pushed last year...