Rockford Sun

Illinois State Rep. Maurice West, III (D-Rockford) is calling for a ban on Illinois public schools using terms like “Chiefs” as their mascot.

House Bill 5617, filed by West on Feb. 9, mandates that all Illinois school boards “shall prohibit a school from using a native name, logo, or mascot.”

The school would be able to “continue to use uniforms or other materials bearing a native name, logo, or mascot that were purchased on or before the effective date of the amendatory Act until September 1, 2027,” West proposes.

Among the high school names West hopes to ban- Lake Forest H.S. (Scouts), Thornwood H.S. (Thunderbirds), Stockton H.S. (Blackhawks), West Aurora H.S. (Blackhawks), Bremen H.S. (Braves), Annawan H.S. (Braves), Deer Creek Mackinaw H.S. (Chiefs), Cahokia H.S. (Comanches), Morrisonville H.S. (Mohawks), Sullivan H.S. (Redskins), Casey-Westfield H.S. (Warriors), Crete-Monee H.S. (Warriors), Granite City H.S. (Warriors), Warren H.S. (Warriors), Maine West H.S. (Warriors), Chicago Westinghouse H.S. (Warriors), Waubonsie Valley H.S. (Warriors), (Altamont H.S. (Indians), Brimfield H.S. (Indians), Chicago Calumet H.S. (Indians), DuQuoin H.S. (Indians), Carlyle H.S. (Indians), Dakota H.S. (Indians), Lewistown H.S. (Indians), Johnston City H.S. (Indians), Pawnee H.S. (Indians), Pecatonica H.S. (Indians), Payson-Seymour H.S. (Indians), Meredosia-Chambersburg H.S. (Indians), Minooka H.S. (Indians), Mascoutah H.S. (Indians), Marengo H.S. (Indians), Momence H.S. (Indians), Neoga H.S. (Indians), Pontiac H.S. (Indians), Sandwich H.S. (Indians), and Wayne City H.S. (Indians).

Winnebago H.S. and Rockton Hononegah also use the team name, Indians.

The Kansas City Chiefs won the NFL Super Bowl in 2024.

In Jan. 2022, the Morris High School Board, in Kendall County, voted to eliminate its “Redskins” mascot by Aug. 2025. 

In 2022, New York banned use of so-called “Native American names” as imagery for team logos and mascots, giving schools using them until the 2024-25 school year to rename or remove them, unless a “federally recognized tribe” granted the school a written exemption from the ban.

The high school nickname of Rockford East H.S. is based on its school colors, or "E-RABs" for "East Red and Blacks." 

Pekin H.S., near Peoria, used the team nickname "Chinks" until 1981. 

First elected in 2018, West, 38, represents the Illinois House's 67th District, which includes most of the west and north sides of Rockford as well as parts of Loves Park, Machesney Park, Cherry Valley, New Milford and Woodcrest.