School board members were documenting and ingesting piles of research and public comments while also dealing with legal worries in the weeks leading up to their decision to retire the “Indians” nickname, according to emails obtained by the Morning Sentinel through a public records request.

Board met with their attorney, then discussed future of the name and what it means to Native Americans who say the name is racist.

The Native American Guardian’s Association says it works with schools to “preserve their Native American themed identities” and supports the use of the Skowhegan Indians name.