Pocatello Indians mascot on the line

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI/KIDK)-After meeting with members of the Fort Hall Business Council Thursday, the Pocatello-Chubbuck School Board has agreed to consider an administrative recommendation to retire the Pocatello High School Indians mascot.

The board will hold a work session at 11 a.m. Tuesday and could take formal action at a regular board meeting at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, September 15.

During the Thursday meeting, District 25 administrators outlined a recommendation and timeline for the board.  School board trustees could take immediate action.  

“This issue is not new. The debate has been part of an important local and national dialogue for many years now,” said Mattson. “We appreciate the continued discussions and respectful relationship that we have cultivated with the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes’ leadership to address the representation of Poky’s mascot over the past several decades. Our obligation as the governing body of the school district is to listen to the recommendation being presented and then, after thoughtful and careful deliberation, make a final decision regarding any next steps moving forward.”

Kevin Callahan, Acting Chairman of the Fort Hall Business Council, added, “We are very pleased about the direction of this meeting today and we support the recommendation to retire the Pocatello Indians mascot. We look forward to working together on any next steps once the School Board has the opportunity to consider the recommendation and make a final decision.” The upcoming meetings will be open to the public and live streamed from the District 25 Facebook page.

Public comments can be3 directed to communications@sd25.us