February 24, 2021 3:40 a.m.

The Roseburg School Board’s RHS Mascot Subcommittee Phase 1 has received over 2,160 responses regarding the potential retirement of the current RHS mascot.

Superintendent Jared Cordon said over 1,480 responses came in through an online form between February 15th and February 22nd. Cordon said more than 680 additional letters were received at the district office. Cordon said the opportunity for input generated high interest in the community and beyond. That included input from students, staff, parents, community members, alumni and more.

Cordon said the subcommittee met Tuesday to consider next steps. Committee members agreed that more time will be needed to carefully and thoughtfully review each response. The release said when it reports to the full school board at Wednesday night’s meeting, the subcommittee will recommend that all board members be provided sufficient time to read through all the responses prior to considering a vote on whether to retire the mascot.

Cordon said subcommittee members hope to facilitate further thoughtful conversation around the matter with the intent of finding a path forward that best serves all students.