CEDAR CITY — It’s official: Cedar High School’s moniker will remain the Reds.

At its regular monthly meeting Tuesday night, the Iron County School District Board of Education voted 4-3 to retain the Reds name, which had five years ago replaced “Redmen,” the school’s longtime nickname and mascot.

After  comments from the public and board members, trustee Megen Ralphs made a motion “that the Cedar High School name and mascot remain the same as currently established.”

Joining Ralphs in favor of the motion were Tiffiney Christiansen, Lauren Lewis and board president Ben Johnson. Those voting nay were Jeff Corry, Dave Staheli and Stephanie Hill.

“As everybody knows, you know, I’m a swing vote for most things,” Lewis said shortly before the vote. 

“This was brought up in the beginning because it has been something that has divided our county, and it has hurt us as a community for various reasons that I’ve been able to hear about,” Lewis said. “But I also understand that we as adults get to show how we are going to react to every situation, and we get to be the ones that teach our kids how we’re going to respond. And, as Tiffiney stated so amazingly, it should be about the education of our kids moving forward. I hope that we are as passionate about literacy, math, science and history with our kids as we have been about this issue.

“Many people see Redmen as a great thing in our community. You go outside of our community, many people do not see it as a good thing. Many people within our community do not see it as a good thing. We cannot hurt our students.”

Tuesday night, just like the March 26 meeting, several community members commented on the topic.

Redmen supporters comprised a majority of commenters at last month’s meeting, but Tuesday night, 15 of the 18 people of who weighed in on the subject said they were against the idea of bringing back “Redmen.”

Among them was Corrina Bow, tribal chair of the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah, who reiterated the tribe’s official position on the matter, which is that they do not want to see the “Redmen” name reinstated.

Bow, who went to Cedar High and has a grandson attending now, called the former nickname derogatory.

“It is hurting our Native American students’ self-esteem and spreading negative stereotypes,” she said. “Our children are our future leaders of tomorrow. So make the right decision that will benefit all the students.”

Added Crystal Koenig, an anthropology professor at Southern Utah University: “I feel that my remarks should be unnecessary because the Paiute leadership has already spoken to reject this name and mascot and I don’t feel anything further should need to be said.

“Supporters of restoring the previous name and mascot have spoken at length about the honor that it is intended to bestow upon Native people. However, as non-Natives, we don’t get to decide what honors Native people. That’s up to them. They told us and it’s time to move on.”

Koenig cited the example from a few years ago, when leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints began to move away from terms like “Mormons” and “Mormon church” and asked people to use the full name instead.

“Most people in this community fell in line with that change and shifted to referring to Latter-day Saints accordingly,” she said. “Appropriately, I’m asking that we afford the same respect to the Native people of this area.”

Following Koenig was Matthew Newsom, also an SUU anthropology professor, who stated, “Cedar City has a very imperfect history with including the Pauites into our community. Their voices have rarely been heard and their histories as they would tell them are rarely listened to.

“This is an opportunity, I believe, to correct that track record and aim our community in a more positive direction,” Newsom said. “I implore the board to acknowledge the perspective of Paiute leadership along with their members and basic dictionary facts, and stand against the use of racial slurs to represent our community to the rest of the world.”

Another commenter pointed out that the term Redmen, which stood as Cedar High’s nickname for 77 years starting in 1942, wasn’t considered to be offensive at the time it was instituted and for decades afterward.

“Words change over time,” the man said. “Words we used to say we don’t say anymore.”

Steve Merrill, who had run against Christiansen for the District 5 seat two years ago, referred to potential legal issues that might arise if “Redmen” were to be reinstated

Merrill cited the recently passed HB 261, also known as the “anti-DEI bill,” which takes effect on July 1.

“The bill states that an LEA [Local Education Agency] may not engage in or maintain a policy and procedure practice or program that based on an individual’s ethnicity influences an individual’s participation in a school-sponsored program,” Merrill said. “The LEA cannot employ anyone to promote such things.”

Merrill also posed questions related to financial costs.

“How will the change be paid for, not only the name getting added to buildings, uniforms, etc., but also the challenge that would come from the state?” he said. “That same bill has outlined how funding would end up being cut to the district until it comes into compliance. How will we be funding the continued operation of the district without any state funding, knowing that this will hit national news? Is this a decision each of you is willing to defend over the upcoming months or years depending on how long it takes to change the law so that we are back into compliance?”

Also commenting were a few student leaders from Cedar High School who were wearing their student government sweaters.

“I have been a ‘Red’ for three years and I think that it’s perfect,” said Alecia Pugh, a junior class officer. 

“I just really urge you guys to listen to the students at Cedar High,” she added. “I can guarantee you that what I’m saying here is what you will find if you listen to the students at Cedar High School. It is not about the people that went there before. It’s about the people that are going there now. So please listen to them. Our opinions do matter and it’s time that we’re heard and respected alongside others.”

The first commenter to speak in favor of the Redmen name on Tuesday was Andrea Nelson, one of the most vocal “Redmen Forever” proponents over the past five years or more.

Calling the Redman issue “the canary in the coal mine,” Nelson said it’s indicative of a larger ideological battle.

“Those who fund and support the eradication of Native American names and images are funded and supported by the far-left ideological people of this country,” she said.

Nelson also questioned how the nickname Redmen began to be considered derogatory.

“When did it start to become a slur?” she asked. “How did it show up in the dictionary? We can talk about that for hours.”

Another Redmen proponent, Lisa Davis, said similar concerns could be found with the replacement moniker Reds.

“You look in the dictionary and the terms, they go hand in hand,” Davis told the board. “Reds is also a slur for Native Americans, also communists, drugs. It’s worse. It’s more offensive if you’re gonna go by the dictionary definition. That’s just really insane logic.”

Cedar High School has consistently used a red wolf mascot as the embodiment of the Reds name since it became official in 2019. Even before then, the Cedar High girls sports teams had long been known as “Lady Reds,” as opposed to a term that included the masculine suffix.

Another Redmen proponent, Sheryl Stratton, said a parent told her recently that their child was in a classroom of Cedar High students who were asked if they wanted the name to switch back.

“Every child in the classroom of 30 students raised their hand (indicating) they wanted to be Redmen again,” Stratton said.

However, Stratton’s claim of unanimous student support ran contrary to what another one of the CHS student leaders had said earlier.

“The students are not asking for the Redmen mascot to be brought back,” junior class officer Campbell Allen said.  “As student leaders, we’ve been asking a lot of students for feedback and bringing back the Redmen is not something that students want.

“Showing respect to others is one of our values at CHS. For many, particularly our Native American classmates, the Redmen name is disrespectful and hurtful. CHS is a place where everyone should feel safe and welcome.”

During her remarks, Stratton also took issue with the Paiute tribe’s official statement.

“Another thing, the Paiute tribal council does not speak for the members,” Stratton said. “The members have never been polled. The majority of Paiutes, 90% of the people, want it back, regardless of what the chair says.” 

The last public comment to be heard came in the form of a letter written by Paiute Tribal Council member Tamra Borchardt-Slayton, which was read aloud during the meeting by Christiansen.

“The Indian Peaks Band is astonished by the narrative of current school board members, (not all) and community members on the false narrative that is being thrust as what they believe is the truth on the retirement of the name and mascot,”  Christiansen said, reading from Borchardt-Slayton’s statement. “They are forgetting this discussion was thrust into the forefront because of the social media harassment of the drill team and cheerleaders going viral for racially insensitive dances and cheers at a national level and the threats made to them.”

Borchardt-Slayton’s statement did acknowledge that some members of the tribe may feel differently but noted, “The tribal members you hear from are the loudest, but they aren’t the majority, because the silent majority know how this is a derogatory term and would never want this racially insensitive label attached to them.”

The statement concluded by noting that just as the board’s 2019 decision to retire the Redmen was not taken lightly, neither should the current decision. 

Board member Staheli reiterated his desire to put the issue to some kind of public vote or poll. Placing the issue on the November general election ballot, as initially proposed during the board’s March meeting, is not legally possible, district officials confirmed.

Additionally, Superintendent Lance Hatch noted that the decision, just like any other administrative action, ultimately rests with the Board of Education.

“It would be an unconstitutional delegation of authority for the board to say a survey or vote or poll decided the issue,” Hatch said, adding that a third party, be it a vote of the people, an arbitrator, or a school committee, may still be used in an advisory capacity to guide the board’s decisions.

Still, Staheli continued to pitch the idea of a community vote, saying it would help settle the issue for once and all.

“We can use different nomenclature if we want to, call it a poll or whatever,” Staheli said. “People who care go out and vote about things. People who don’t care generally don’t.”

After suggesting ways whereby county residents, including high school students, could be polled on the matter, Staheli said that if the results showed that the majority of the public did not want the name Redmen restored, he would abide by that.

“I will accept the will of the people in this,” Staheli said. “I still love tradition. I love defending things that matter. I do not like liberal agendas filtering into our society.”

However, fellow board member Lewis questioned why Staheli had made a motion to reinstate the Redmen at last month’s meeting without first suggesting that it be put to a public vote.

“The people weren’t going to be heard. Not all people would be heard if that motion would have passed,” Lewis said. “That’s where I don’t understand, how we can be OK with one, but now we have to hear the people because it’s probably going to go a different way. I don’t understand that part.”

The other two board members who sided with Staheli, Hill and Corry, both expressed their views on the issue. Corry, who was elected to the school board in 2020 after retiring from teaching at Cedar High for many years, said the majority of his constituents want to see the Redmen name restored.

Hill said likewise: “I want you to know that my constituents have probably been 10-to-1 for the reinstatement of the Redmen name.”

“I stand by my vote because I’m a representative of District 4,” Hill said, noting that she had heard  “substantive documentation” for the arguments on both sides of the issue.

“As I stated last month, we are in an impossible situation,” Hill said. “I do not have an appetite to burden the district, in light of the enormous challenges that we face. The world has changed dramatically in just the last couple of years. Hamburger is $6 a pound. Oranges are $1. People can’t make rent.

“I don’t give a damn about a mascot when babies can’t read. For all of you that are as passionate as you’ve been, by God, take that passion, and go and help and do something that’s worthwhile.”

Ralphs agreed with Hill that the divisive issue has put the board in a no-win situation, as compelling and passionate arguments have been heard on both sides

“Whatever we decide, there’s no win,” Ralphs said.

Nevertheless, Ralphs reminded her fellow board members of the board’s mission and purpose. 

“We are here for bettering our students for the future and we have got to think about that,” she said. “I want to get back to spending time and resources on our students … I want to get back to why I’m serving on the board, which is finding ways to integrate industry and education practices so that our students are better prepared.”

Ralphs expressed her appreciation for her fellow board members, even though they may disagree on this issue.

“I hope that what we are teaching from any of this, our future generations, is that we can disagree and work through things,” Ralphs added. “But I just can’t in good conscience, with everything going against it, with the potential that even one child could possibly be insulted, hurt or bullied by reinstating this name, I just, I can’t, I can’t do it.”

Board president Johnson, who lives in Parowan, mentioned how the name Parowan comes from a Native American word meaning “evil water.”

“I think there’s ways to keep the traditions,” he said. “I think there’s ways to respect the Native Americans and to not eradicate but to utilize their terminology, as they do for Parowan High School.”

Even with the split vote, the board’s action on Tuesday appears to have put the matter to rest.

“The passage of the motion to retain the current name ended further discussion of the proposal for public poll or ‘vote,’” a district news release stated.

Echoing the sentiments of several others, Christiansen suggested that Native American culture be highlighted in public schools and not just at Cedar High.

“We do need to celebrate our Native American culture,” Christiansen said. “I love it so much.”

“Let’s do it in the way that our local tribe wants us to do it,” she added. “Let’s love and honor them the way they want to be loved and honored.”

To watch the full meeting on Iron County School District’s YouTube channel, click here.

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