With the start of football season, the name of the Konkrete Kids Northampton Area High School football team has itself become a political football.

A nationwide petition, already said to be signed by 2,500 as of the Monday night deadline for this story, demands that Northampton Area School District change the nickname of its football team, as well as its sports teams and its school nickname because, the petition claims, the initials of "Konkrete Kids" spell out KKK, the initials for the Ku Klux Klan, a far right-wing organization.

Reaction in NASD has been vocal and swift.

NASD Superintendent Joseph Kovalchik said he has been inundated with phone calls, emails and even personal asides at the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church picnic over the weekend in support of the Konkrete Kids moniker.

Even Northampton Mayor Thomas Reenock paid a visit Monday to Kovalchik at his office in the NASD administration building to discuss the matter.

Kovalchik told The Press after Monday night's meeting, "I find the inference to the KKK to be offensive as a superintendent and as a resident of the school district due to the fact that I know many of the people who spent their lives working in the cement industry."

The topic hits close to home for Kovalchik, whose father, Joseph, is a retired cement worker for the former Dragon Cement and later Hercules Cement Company.

Kovalchik first learned of the petition at the Friday night football game between Northampton and Nazareth at the Nazareth School District Stadium, where Northampton is playing its home games for the 2013 season because Al Erdosy Stadium is being renovated.

The petition to change the name of the "Konkrete Kids" was placed on the change.org web site by Terrance Jackson of Bath.

Jackson could not be reached for comment Monday night.

The petition states, in part:

"This area is well known for its rich ties with the K.K.K.

"An educational system should not have a mascot name formed from the K.K.K. nor should it be so obviously placed in the misspelling of concrete.

"The name should be changed to something that every student can be proud to claim as their school."

In the petition, which is addressed to Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett, the school nickname is spelled "KonKreteKids" to approximate the KKK initials.

Kovalchik pointed out that the Big N "Konkrete Kids" logo is spelled as two words, often in capital letters. If the name is in lowercase letters, the second "k" in "Konkrete" is not capitalized.

Following the Sept. 9 school board meeting, Kovalchik was interviewed on camera by a television reporter from Fox29, Philadelphia, about the petition.

A segment, labeled "Controversy over school district team name," aired on the 10 p.m. Fox29 newscast and was posted on its website, with the "Konkrete Kids" logo prominently displayed.

Brandishing several printouts relating to the origin of the "Konkrete Kids" name, Kovalchik pointed out that the word, "Konkrete," is taken from the German word for concrete, which is "konkret."

The NASD region, which still has working cement mills, at one time had many more mills. Northampton was once dubbed "the cement capital of the world."

Plans are to honor "The Cement Belt" heritage with murals and displays in the new Northampton Area Middle School, now under construction.

The Atlas Cement Memorial Museum in Northampton is believed to be the only one of its kind in the United States, even attracting interest and a visit last year from a delegation from China.

Ed Pany, museum curator, is a retired teacher at Northampton Area High School where he taught U.S. history, said the use of the "Konkrete Kids" NAHS nickname dates to the 1924 school basketball team, but caught on with the football team, especially the 1937 undefeated team.

Kovalchik said that the school football program could not then afford equipment bags. Student athletes used Universal Atlas Cement Company bags to lug gear to the playing field sidelines.

"The fans said, 'Here come the Konkrete Kids,'" Kovalchik said.

Pany said he had 37 phone calls over the weekend until his home answering machine could not handle any more.

Referring to the "Konkrete Kids" nickname, Pany said, "This was used because many of the [cement plant] workers were German or Pennsylvania-German."

In using the "Konkrete Kids" nickname, Pany noted, "They achieved two goals: They honored their heritage and the individuals who supported the community."

The petition is believed to have been posted about 10 days prior to Monday night's school board meeting.

Concerning the petition and reaction in the community, NASD school board member Jennifer Miller said, "I've heard outrage about it. To hear what we're being accused of ... I think we're very diverse."

Kovalchik said NASD was honored for its employment efforts with a certificate in 2010 "in recognition of your outstanding efforts and dedication to the recruitment of minorities" from Flagship Publishing Group Inc., which publishes "Career Opportunities For Minority College Graduates."

"With all the good things we have going on right now – the new middle school – it's very hurtful," Miller said of the petition's goal and accusations.