Hart High School principal Jason d’Autremont has responded to student calls to retire the school’s Indian mascot after a graduating senior sent him an email, sharing that an online petition calling for the removal of the “outdated” mascot had garnered thousands of signatures.

On Sunday, graduating senior Julia Estrada wrote an email to d’Autremont in which she called on Hart High School to retire their “outdated and offensive Indian mascot.”

“I truly believe that now is an appropriate time to consider making this change,” Estrada wrote. “Given that we are amidst a shift in history where young people are challenging the deep-rooted racism found in everyday society.”

On Tuesday, d’Autremont responded to Estrada, thanking her for sharing her concerns regarding the mascot.

“I appreciate your focus on cultural sensitivity,” d’Autremont wrote. “It’s something that all of us are especially attentive to – given the national (and international) call for social justice.  As Principal, it’s always been important to me to ensure that our school (and our students) represent our community with the utmost dignity and respect.”

See Related: Hart High School Students Call For Retiring Of ‘Outdated’ Indian Mascot

While d’Autremont wanted to assure Estrada that he, along with officials from the school, were listening, he also expressed that the school’s primary focus right now was finding out how to bring students back to school in the fall.

“My team and I are currently consumed with working out how to do this in light of the ever-changing restrictions associated with the COVID shutdowns,” he wrote. “This is not an excuse, but rather a transparent admission that we are working as hard as we can to get this piece in place first.”

The Indian has been Hart High School’s mascot since the school’s founding in the mid-1940s.

“The retiring of the ‘Indian’ mascot is long overdue and as we turn in to a new decade, I urge Hart High School to change their mascot,” reads a petition started on Saturday calling for the removal of the mascot. “Our country’s treatment of indigenous people, subjecting them to different kinds of violence, destroying their culture, and forcing them off their land has led to current day problems like mass impoverishment, lowered access to education, and inadequate healthcare. The use of offensive stereotypical images of Native Americans for school mascots only perpetuates these issues.”

As of Tuesday afternoon, over 2,200 signatures had been accumulated on the petition.

“I want to assure you that we are listening  – and that we know that this concern will require additional conversations,” d’Autremont wrote to Estrada.

For further information or to sign the petition, click here.

KHTS FM 98.1 and AM 1220 is Santa Clarita’s only local radio station. KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.