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Indian mascot suit thrown out

LANSING, MI (AP)--   A federal agency has dismissed a complaint seeking to ban the use of American Indian mascots in Michigan's K-12 schools. 

In February, the Michigan Department of Civil Rights cited 35 Michigan school districts for discrimination, saying their mascots reinforce stereotypes and hurt American Indian students' self-esteem and learning.

But the U.S. Education Department's Office of Civil Rights denied the state's complaint last week. Federal officials say Michigan officials provided no specific examples of racial incidents or American Indian students suffering specific harm because of the reported discrimination.

The state civil rights department said Monday it's disappointed by the ruling and is considering its options.

Michigan's complaint to the federal government has drawn criticism from Republican lawmakers who say it was misguided and a done without input from communities.

Nicole was born near Detroit but has lived in the U.P. most of her life. She graduated from Marquette Senior High School and attended Michigan State and Northern Michigan Universities, graduating from NMU in 1993 with a degree in English.