Clinton Schools drops Redskins nickname, leaving just three left in Michigan

And then there were three.

Clinton Community Schools, located southwest of Ann Arbor, announced this week it will retire its Redskins nickname amid the growing nationwide outcry over the moniker's racial insensitivity toward Native Americans.

The school district said in 2010 that it would keep the nickname as long as it was still being used by the Washington NFL franchise.

That NFL franchise this month decided to go with a new nickname, which hasn't yet been announced. The Clinton school board unanimously passed a resolution Monday night to adopt a new nickname, which also hasn't been announced.

"Clinton Community Schools is a district that believes in keeping true to our agreement and acting with integrity," superintendent Jim Cracraft said in a statement.

The new nickname will be in place for the upcoming school year.

The decision leaves just three school districts in Michigan with the Redskins nickname: Camden-Frontier, Sandusky and Saranac.

Paw Paw, also have years of debate, announced last month it would retire the Redskins, switching to the Red Wolves. The district recently unveiled its new logo.

Redskins used to be an extremely popular nickname for high schools in Michigan, but gradually has fallen out of favor, with such schools as Belding, Marshall, Milford and Oak Park changing in the last 30 years.

In 2010, Clinton polled the community about the nickname, and more than 90% of residents wanted to keep the Redskins nickname. That's when the school board adopted a resolution to keep it as long as the NFL franchise had it, or until the district was mandated to make a change.

tpaul@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @tonypaul1984