Marysville High School is officially shelving its longtime "Indians" mascot after California's expanded ban on Native American-themed school names took effect yesterday. Marysville Joint Unified School District officials said they have met with local tribal representatives and will keep pursuing written consent that could potentially allow limited continued use of the name.
The district recognizes the deep history and tradition associated with the Indians mascot, the school board said in a statement, according to CBS Sacramento. Marysville High, one of California's oldest public high schools, was founded in 1871, per the Marysville Joint Unified School District.
How the new law affects schools
The mascot change traces back to AB 3074, which expands California's Racial Mascots Act and bars public schools from using what it calls derogatory Native American terms effective yesterday. The bill's list of prohibited terms specifically names "Indians" among them. Under the law, a school can keep using a Native-related name only if it secures written consent from a local federally recognized tribe, and it sets staggered requirements for uniforms, facilities and complaint procedures. The legislative text spells out the effective date, exemptions and implementation timelines, according to LegiScan.
How other districts are responding
Across California, districts have been scrambling to either rebrand or obtain tribal sign-off before the law fully takes effect. Fresno Unified, for instance, replaced several Native-themed nicknames after a community review process, The Fresno Bee reported. Other campuses have kept their names after receiving written consent from nearby federally recognized tribes, a path Marysville officials say they are actively exploring.
What's next for Marysville High
The district says it has no current plans to pick a new mascot and will continue seeking written consent from a local federally recognized tribe, according to CBS Sacramento. If that consent does not materialize, the district would have to permanently retire the Indians' name and phase out branded materials in accordance with the law's schedule.
Administrators say they plan to involve students, alumni and tribal partners in whatever comes next, adding that their priority is to follow state law while keeping disruptions to school programs as limited as possible. For the 2026-27 school year, Marysville High will avoid using the Indians nickname in official materials while the district continues its talks with tribal representatives.
