Some school boards are already reviewing their own sports teams and say they expect most across the province would support a ban on students wearing clothing with offensive names or logos, be they professional or local teams.

“At the Durham board, we did a quick look at our team logos, maybe five or six months ago, on a number of platforms — one, for offensiveness and another to make sure (they were original),” said Michael Barrett, who chairs the Durham District School Board and is head of the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association.

None, he noted, were found to be objectionable. “We had lots of Mustangs and Colts and Coyotes, but we didn’t find anything obviously (offensive),” he added.

The Equity Summit Group of Ontario, representing 26 equity officials in school boards, wrote to Education Minister Liz Sandals as well as directors of education, asking that clothing with “pejorative and racist names and logos” or mascots demeaning to indigenous peoples be kept out of schools.

“Our schools across Ontario are fostering a learning environment that is asking indigenous and non-indigenous children to tolerate racism and it must stop immediately,” their letter states.

Such a ban would probably include teams such as the Cleveland Indians or the Washington Redskins.

Barrett, who had not seen the letter, said that, “at first blush, we’d be supportive of that to ensure” a positive learning environment in schools.

“The world is changing.”

Brian Woodland, of the Peel District School Board, said concerns about this issue have been raised before, and the board has since consulted with its First Nations, Métis and Inuit Education Advisory Circle.

“We received their feedback last Thursday and are now putting plans together,” said Woodland.

While some argue such names honour indigenous peoples and are a nod to history, the equity group says boards should consult with local aboriginal groups.

“I cannot think of a director who would be opposed to what’s stated in there,” said Frank Kelly, who heads the Council of Ontario Directors of Education, of the equity group’s letter.

Newer schools typically won’t have team names that could be deemed offensive, “because I think our directors have been conscious of this for several years, and have made some changes that are helping to offset this kind of image.”