A public school in southern California won't get rid of its controversial "Arab" mascot despite protests from the Arab-American community.

The mascot at Coachella Valley High School features a menacing-looking man with a large nose. The school plans to update the symbol but won't eliminate it.

“We’re still going to stick with the Arab,” school board president Lowell Kemper told the Associated Press. “It’s just a matter of whether we have a change in the caricature of the mascot.”

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee opposes the mascot. The group says the image perpetuates negative stereotypes.

Get the Story:
Calif. Arab sparks debate over ethnic mascots (AP 12/2)