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The California Department of Education (CDE) has maintained its demand that the Tahoe Truckee Unified School District (TTUSD) transform the athletic associations into a league that allows biological male transgender athletes to compete in women’s sports.
This change would force the school to undertake much longer and more perilous trips to competing schools, and critics say it would cause distress and safety concerns among students and parents.
Students would have to cross Donner Pass, California, a 7,056-foot mountain pass. In winter, the pass is known to be dangerous due to extreme weather conditions such as heavy snowfall, strong winds and icy roads.
The high altitude and frequent storms contribute to dangerous travel conditions, including the risk of avalanches.
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At a school board meeting this week, residents voiced opposition to the CDE’s mandate for TTUSD to move from the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association (NIAA) to the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF).
Ava Cockrum, a Truckee High School girls track and field athlete, spoke about the danger the ride would present to her and other students.
“It’s dangerous,” Cockrum said. “It just doesn’t seem safe. … You’re going to be exposed to danger.”
Cockrum also protested the idea that girls had to compete with men.
“I don’t see how it would be fair for female athletes to compete against a biological male because they are stronger, bigger, faster. … It’s just not fair,” Cockrum added.
The teenager received applause from the residents present.
TTUSD has historically participated in the NIAA due to its proximity to Nevada schools. However, after the NIAA changed its policy to allow only biological females to compete in women’s sports earlier this year, the CDE demanded a change from TTUSD to CIF.
TTUSD asked to delay that decision, it announced in a memo last week, “due to significant logistical challenges.” But the district says the state is not showing any leniency and that failure to comply with the order could result in financial and legal penalties.
“Last week, TTUSD received a mandatory order from the California Department of Education (CDE) directing that our athletic programs be transferred to the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) beginning with the 2026-2027 school year due to a formal complaint filed against TTUSD,” the announcement said.
“The decision is no longer within the local control of TTUSD. We are legally required to follow this CDE order. … If we do not comply, TTUSD will be violating state law, which could result in severe financial penalties and legal action against the district.”
The CDE provided a statement on the situation to ABC 10.
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A school bus in downtown Truckee in Truckee, California on December 13, 2024. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“California law requires that students be allowed to participate on the sports team that corresponds to their gender identity. California local educational agencies (LEAs) are required to follow California law, regardless of which state athletic association they join,” the release said.
The situation has attracted the attention of several California politicians.
“This is a new low. California is forcing Tahoe Truckee Unified to compete in California instead of Nevada, although this is impractical and dangerous for athletes whose seasons will run from spring to winter in a snowy area. The reason: Nevada does not allow men to play women’s sports,” Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., wrote on X.
“For 40 years, Tahoe Truckee Unified has chosen to compete in Nevada because sports like football and tennis are played there in the spring. In California, these are winter sports, impractical in snowy areas like Tahoe and pose safety concerns when traveling.
“Yet the state overturned this local decision for no other reason than to preserve the ability of biological males from district schools to compete in the women’s division. This will decimate several sports, and district schools may not even be able to field teams.”
Nevada Lieutenant Governor Stavros Anthony also condemned the decision in an X message.
“California is forcing schools out of Nevada, despite decades of successful competition in our state. We take a common-sense approach with female athletes. Since my Task Force on Protecting Women’s Sports, there have been no incidents involving men playing women’s sports,” Anthony wrote.
The CIF is one of several high school athletic conferences located in blue states to defy President Donald Trump’s executive order since it was signed on Feb. 5.
CIF is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education for defying the order, and Education Secretary Linda McMahon has warned Gov. Gavin Newsom that her state could be subject to a federal funding freeze if it continues to defy the order.
