MADISON, Wis. -- Some Native American groups and state lawmakers are pushing legislation that might steer Wisconsin schools from using race-based mascots or logos for their sports teams.

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The state Assembly Education Committee held a hearing on Tuesday devoted to the controversial bill, which would allow state officials to become involved in discrimination claims made against the schools.

It's a debate over the identity of school districts and Native Americans in the state. The emotional subject has sparked fights in many communities, and now it's being discussed on a bigger stage, WISC-TV reported.

The legislation would allow the state Department of Public Instruction to investigate claims of discrimination because of Native American mascots, which is a fight many have taken to school boards in the past. Some of the bill's proponents hope the measure would move all schools to change the mascots, but it remains to be seen how it would affect the districts involved.

Only in the auxiliary gym of Poynette High School would you find out that the school is the home of the "Indians."

Although the nickname has been with the school since the 1940s, the school district no longer uses an Indian chief as a logo.

"It's something that we have not used. We have not included it on any kind of new uniforms for the last 15 years. We have not put it any place in the building or utilized it in any way," said Craig McCallum, the school's principal.

In fact, since no mascot has been in use, the school's current events class has even debated what else the school could use.

"This has been something the students have thought through, how and why a mascot is in place, opportunities to use it in a fun way, whereas we really don't have a mascot now that can be utilized," said McCallum.

However, many Native Americans in the state have said they want the last 40 schools in Wisconsin using such mascots or logos to do away with the practice completely. Several spoke at Tuesday's hearing before the committee.

"We want the elimination of these mascots and logos from the school environments so that children are not learning hands-on in schools how to stereotype a racial group," said Barbara Munson, chair of the Indian Mascot and Logo Task Force.

"Through my experiences in Mosinee, my experiences of racism and discrimination, the stories I told one-on-one to board members of the Mosinee school board, my stories weren't enough," said Christine Munson, a member of the Oneida Nation, and alumnus of the Mosinee School District, which is home of the "Indians."

McCallum said that he guesses Poynette would be challenged under the proposed law, and the school board would have to confront the issue.

"I'm not sure that it would go down to that situation that we would be forced to change," said McCallum. "I think that potentially, the school board could decide the handwriting is on the wall, we should just take care of this, but that's to be determined, I guess."

Poynette's school board plans to discuss the bill at their meeting next week, but they're not the only school in the area to be affected. Wisconsin Dells' mascot is the "Chiefs," while Waunakee and Blackhawk schools are the "Warriors."

The Assembly Education Committee still hasn't voted on the bill.