West Hartford HS Nickname Changes Keep Judge Busy

WEST HARTFORD, CT — An ongoing legal challenge to the school board's decision to change the nicknames of the town's high schools to avoid Native American references took a hit earlier this month.

On June 9, a Hartford Superior Court judge denied a request for a temporary injunction that would have restored the nicknames until the lawsuit was rectified.

The injunction was sought by two residents suing the school district opposing the name change.

The West Hartford Board of Education June 7 made the switch official with a 5-2 vote along party lines, changing Conard High School's nickname from the Chieftains to the Red Wolves and Hall High School's nickname from the Warriors to the Titans.

Board Democrats were in support and the two Republicans, Ethan Goldman and Gayle Harris, opposed.

The move was done in deference to the ongoing push against such nicknames, evidenced by Cleveland's baseball team going from Indians to Guardians and Washington, D.C.'s football team going from the Redskins to the Commanders.

West Hartford also could have lost $28,000 in tribal funding from the Indian casinos in the state due to a new state law mandating the loss of such funds for schools with Native American nicknames.

Not everyone locally was happy with the June 7 vote.

That same day before the school board, West Hartford residents Scott Zweig made it known he and Mary (Haggerty) McGowan filed a lawsuit in Hartford Superior Court against West Hartford's move, stating they want the nicknames to remain the same.

Both are graduates of Hall.

In the 18-page lawsuit filed in court, they claim the school board violated multiple policies by deciding to change the nicknames and did so against the public and student body's wishes.

Specifically, Zweig, an attorney, and McGowan claim the school board went against a 2015 board of education policy vote to keep the Native American-theme nicknames.

"The Board’s blatant disregard for its own written policies and its impact on the residents of West Hartford must be addressed by the Court," reads the lawsuit. "If the Board, which is comprised of elected officials, is permitted to ignore or disregard its own written policies when it chooses, the public’s faith in the Board and its ability to perform its duties will erode."

At the June 7 school board meeting, Zweig denounced the move in public comments.

"The board's actions in reaching this point were fatally flawed and must be stopped," Zweig said, also demanding the name change be put to voters in November.

"An issue this important, should not be left to seven people," he said to applause at the meeting.

After a 30-minute executive session to discuss the lawsuit, West Hartford Board of Education Chairperson Lorna Thomas-Farquarson said members shouldn't comment on the ongoing litigation.

She did express confidence in the school board's actions, however.

"I will note, however, that I personally feel confident that the lawsuit filed by attorney Zweig is unlikely to succeed on the merits," Thomas-Farquarson said.

The nicknames will require some building modifications as the schools are renamed, such as the gym floors in the respective schools.

To watch the full June 7 West Hartford Board of Education meeting, click on this link.

For more information on the new mascots and school logos, click on this link.

For all the court documents related to the lawsuit against the West Hartford Board of Education regarding the nickname change, click on this link.