The Pocatello-Chubbuck School District 25 Board of Trustees is considering moving the historic neon Indians sign to a district-owned building in downtown Pocatello and is expected to vote Tuesday on whether to allow Native American students to wear traditional accessories at graduations.

The school district has been mulling where to put the Indians sign since deciding to remove it from Pocatello High School when the school changed its mascot from the Indians to Thunder. The most recent idea to put the sign on a district-owned building on North Main Street in downtown Pocatello came from a local group that works to restore neon signs.

Randy Dixon, of Pocatello's Relight the Night Committee, went to a recent Board of Trustees meeting to voice his support for the prospective placement.

”It would be in good company,” Dixon said of the Indians sign. “I don’t know if everyone realizes this, but Pocatello has national notoriety for the historic neon that we’ve restored. The Pocatello Indian was certainly one of those to begin with, and it just needs to be in a location where it can be seen.”

The school board appeared to be on board with the idea, though the trustees did not vote or make a decision on the sign’s fate during last week’s meeting.

Jonathan Balls, director of business operations for the school district, said putting the sign on what the school district calls its ITB building on North Main Street near West Fremont Street would make for the “perfect home.”

”It’s close to Pocatello High School but yet has enough separation to emphasize that we are now the Pocatello Thunder,” Balls said to the school board.

Dixon said the plan would be to place a plaque near the sign that explains the history of it and its connection to the school district and Pocatello High School.

”We’re just really proud of our historic neon in this community and I want it to be in a predominant location so it can be seen,” Dixon said. “As long as that sign is shining brightly up on Main Street on (the district’s) property, nobody can forget the history of the Pocatello Indians, and I think that’s important.”

As for the proposed school district dress code change that seeks to allow Native American students to wear traditional cultural and religious accessories, such as eagle feathers, beaded caps, necklaces and medallions, during graduations, the school board is expected to vote on a first reading of the changed policy at its Tuesday meeting, set for 5:30 p.m. at the district's main office on Pole Line Road in Pocatello.

The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes sent a letter to the school district in January asking for the change to be made.

“The Shoshone and Bannock people traditionally and religiously honor significant milestones by gifting graduates eagle feathers or eagle plumes, including beading graduation caps to celebrate personal academic accomplishments and to affirm our tribal identity,” said Devon Boyer, chairman of the Fort Hall Business Council, in the letter to the school district. “The Tribes are concerned the current policy may be violating the American Indian Religious Freedom Act (AIRFA). … It is logically inconsistent to allow Christians to display religious symbols (such as crosses) outside their gowns and not allow Native Americans to wear their religious symbols.”

The school board members all appeared to be in favor of the proposed change.

“I love this,” said school board member Angie Oliver. “This needs to be changed. I think this needs to be done, and I think it would be amazing to see the pride of that nation at our graduations.”