_________________ WANTAGH ________________
HERALD
IS IT TIME FOR A HEARING CHECK-UP?
Top honor for lacrosse star
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VOL. 74 NO. 24
JUNE 11 - 17, 2026
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Dr. Thomas Recher, Au.D.
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Warriors win L.I. championship
One of Long Island’s Top Audi Presented by
Long Island champions! Wantagh High School’s softball team captured the L.I. Class A title last Saturday with a 3-0 victory over two-time defending champion Miller Place. Story, more photos, Page 6.
Erik Lee/Herald
Bill would allow district’s Warriors to keep the name By HUNTER FENOLLOL hfenollol@liherald.com
A bill that would exempt the Wantagh School District from New York state’s Native American mascot ban has moved forward in the Senate, giving proponents renewed hope that the Warriors identity could be preserved. State Sen. Steve Rhoads, whose district includes Wantagh and Seaford, said the legislation recognizes what he describes as Wantagh’s unique historical connection to the name that has represented the community and its schools for decades.
The bill would excuse Wantagh from a state mandate requiring schools to cease using Native American mascots, logos, imagery or team names. The measure recently moved from the Senate’s Education Committee to its Investigations and Government Operations Committee, one of the final steps before it could reach the Senate floor for a vote. If the State Legislature passes the bill, Gov. Kathy Hochul could then sign it into law. “We’re in the last two weeks of session,” Rhoads said. “What I’ve encouraged residents to do is to reach out to
Senator [Jessica] ScarcellaSpanton and Senate leadership to get this onto a committee agenda and bring it to the floor so that we can get this piece of legislation passed.” The State Education Department’s mascot mandate, adopted in 2023, requires districts to comply with the ban or risk losing state aid. Wantagh, whose teams have long competed as the Warriors, has challenged the regulation through state and federal litigation while also seeking legislative relief. Earlier this year, the district received a one-year extension from the state, allowing it to continue using the Warriors
name through June 30, 2027. In a Feb. 10 letter to the community, members of the Wantagh Board of Education said they remained committed to preserving the Warrior identity while continuing legal challenges in both state and federal court. “We understand how deeply the Warrior identity is woven into the fabric of the Wantagh
community,” board members said in the letter. “Your ongoing support and input have been the driving force behind our efforts.” Rhoads argued that Wantagh’s circumstances differ from those of other districts because the community itself was named after a historical figure. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2