SPRINGFIELD — Illinois House Bill 1237, which proposed banning school mascots and imagery referencing Native American tribes, failed to advance in the Illinois Senate after missing a Friday, May 9, 2025, procedural deadline to move out of committee.
State Senator Erica Harriss, who represents the 56th District including Glen Carbon, expressed relief over the bill’s stall.
“This is a great win for schools across Illinois that were faced with the uncertainty of having to erase longstanding traditions and absorb yet another unfunded mandate from out-of-touch Chicago politicians,” Harriss said.
The bill sought to prohibit schools from using names, logos, and mascots such as “Braves,” “Chiefs,” “Chieftains,” “Tribe,” and “Indians,” along with imagery including feathered headdresses, tomahawks, and arrowheads.
Several area schools, including Collinsville High School, Granite City High School, and Calhoun High School, were among those potentially affected by the legislation.
Collinsville High Athletic Director Clay Smith emphasized the significance of the mascot to the Collinsville and Granite City communities, both of which he has been a part of in his life.
“It is a sense of pride in our community and to carry on the tradition,” he said. “We look at it as a sense of pride and carrying on traditions. We feel we carry on the name and logo with respect that brings our community together,” Smith said.
He added that removing the mascot “would have caused chaos,” noting his personal connection as a longtime Kahok and Granite City native.
“To take this away from either community would have been terrible,” he said.
The bill’s failure to progress leaves current school mascots and imagery intact for now, maintaining longstanding traditions for the schools involved.
