Members of a Connecticut school board voted overwhelmingly Monday night to reaffirm it would no longer use a Tomahawk as a high school’s mascot, rejecting a push by a coterie of local parents who demanded the controversial title be reinstated. The Glastonbury Board of Education’s 7-1 vote followed last week’s inflammatory public hearing, which made national headlines after an angry parent, Mark Finocchiaro, threw a punch at a school board member during a recess in the evening’s debate. “The purpose of a mascot is to represent and unify a group with a common identity,” board member Evan Seretan said. “After last week’s hearing, the Tomahawks mascot no longer seems to be a symbol that reflects a vision of strength and unity at Glastonbury High School, but instead seems to sow divisions and discord in our community.” The board’s vice chairwoman, Julie Thompson, noted that input from local indigenous tribes and the National Congress of American Indians had shown “that the Tomahawk is just one more caricature.” The high school’s teams will remain the Glastonbury Guardians, with their logo switched to a knight’s helmet.
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