Marysville High School drops Indians mascot to comply with state law
Marysville High School will no longer use its Indians mascot in an official capacity, it announced in a Marysville Joint Unified School District news release released Tuesday.
The transition complies with the California Racial Mascots Act, or AB 3074. The law, passed in 2024, prohibits K-12 public schools from using any derogatory Native American term for athletic team mascots, names or nicknames. It identifies “Indians” as one such term.
The law took effect Wednesday, requiring schools like Marysville to adopt a new mascot or obtain written consent from a local, federally recognized tribe to retain their existing one.
District administrators met with local tribal representatives, seeking support for the high school to retain the mascot, but they were unable to obtain the required consent. Tribal representatives remained neutral regarding the district’s request, neither supporting or opposing the continued use of the mascot, according to the news release. The release did not identify the tribe or tribes contacted.
The school has no plans to select a replacement mascot at this time, the release said.
“The Marysville Joint Unified School District Board of Trustees recognizes the deep history and tradition associated with the Indians mascot and acknowledges the strong connection many alumni, students, staff, and community members have to it,” reads the news release from Superintendent Jordan Reeves. The school has used its Indians mascot for almost 100 years, he states.
Reeves wrote that the district will continue to pursue written permission from a local, federally recognized tribe to keep the mascot.
District administrators did not reply to a request for comment.
Marysville High School is not the only local school affected by the law. In May, Hiram Johnson High School in Sacramento City Unified School District announced plans to remove a mural of an Indigenous man associated with its Warriors nickname — a decision urged by some members of the tribal community.
The school district has not announced plans to change the nickname.
This story was originally published July 2, 2026 at 11:42 AM.