Parents in Northern California were blindsided this month when the Tahoe Truckee Unified School District (TTUSD) abruptly voted to abandon the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association (NIAA) in favor of the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF).
Abby Edwards, a mother of two daughters who play multiple sports for North Tahoe High School, told IW Features the decision ignited outrage among parents and students over concerns that the district caved to California’s radical gender policies, which allow trans-identified students to compete on the sports team that aligns with their “gender identity.”
For decades, schools along the California and Nevada border such as North Tahoe and Truckee competed in Nevada’s league because it made sense geographically and logistically, Edwards said. This way, teams were able to avoid dangerous treks over Donner Summit, which often closes in the winter due to snowstorms.
But a recent policy change by the NIAA to protect girls’ sports and ensure students are participating on the team that aligns with their sex led TTUSD officials to suddenly abandon the league and the many benefits TTUSD families received from participating in it.
In a May 2 letter reviewed by IW Features, TTUSD Superintendent Kerstin Kramer claimed the move from the NIAA to the CIF was necessary to comply with California’s “gender identity” protections.
“Recent NIAA policy changes regarding student-athlete eligibility based solely on biological sex directly conflict with California laws protecting gender identity and expression, including AB 1955,” Kramer wrote to the parents. “Aligning with CIF ensures our compliance with state law.”
At a packed May 7 school board meeting that Edwards attended, district leaders confirmed the decision to switch leagues stemmed from the NIAA’s April 22 rule change, which adds a new requirement to sports physical forms: athletes must declare eligibility for boys’ or girls’ sports based on their “unaltered original birth certificate,” and physicians must sign off.
The NIAA’s updated policy was not an accident. It was a direct response to growing concern over fairness in girls’ and women’s sports. The change came after the passage of President Donald Trump’s executive order “Keeping Men out of Women’s Sports,” and it aligns with that federal directive by requiring athletes to participate based on their biological sex, not “gender identity.” The birth certificate requirement, along with the need for physician verification, effectively bars males from competing in female divisions.
TTUSD claimed that, under California law, this requirement by the NIAA violates student privacy rights and HIPAA protections. An FAQ later posted by TTUSD and reviewed by IW Features reiterated that district legal counsel had warned officials that remaining in the NIAA could violate state law.
But according to Edwards, district leaders admitted they never sought community input before making the switch — raising possible violations of California’s Brown Act, which mandates public involvement in board decisions.
Moreover, despite the alleged legal risks, other nearby border schools like South Tahoe High have — as of now — chosen not to leave NIAA.
During the May 7 school board meeting, the district conceded that travel times, scheduling, and overlapping sports seasons under CIF would create “challenges” for winter athletes, Edwards said.
In fact, the CIF soccer season, which runs from November to March — right in Tahoe’s peak blizzard season — makes outdoor practices virtually impossible.
“We don’t have an indoor [soccer] facility to practice on,” Edwards said. “Our kids wouldn’t be able to practice on grass.”
But the travel dangers aren’t the only concern. Edwards also fears the switch will dismantle girls’ sports in the region — and not just because of the risk that TTUSD’s female athletes will have to compete against trans-identified males. The more pressing concern, she said, is that the logistical difficulties of competing within the CIF will make it impossible for TTUSD’s female athletes to compete in some sports at all.
This unfortunate possibility hits close to home for Edwards and many other parents in the district. Sixty-seven percent of students at her daughter’s school, North Tahoe, play sports, and she added that many female athletes in particular are multisport athletes –– just like her youngest daughter.
“My daughter’s not going to be able to do both soccer and snowboard team, so what is she supposed to do? They’re making them choose one sport over the other,” Edwards said.
Without enough players to field full teams, Edwards warned, entire girls’ sports teams could collapse.
“Our kids would lose the school experience,” she said.
Edwards explained that following the district’s announcement, her daughter and her daughter’s best friend were devastated.
“She and her best friend [wouldn’t be able to] play a sport together, and it’s the only time they get to be on a sports team together,” she said. “Our kids have already been through so much after COVID, and this is just another hit.”
The concern that her daughter could be forced to compete against a trans-identified male also weighs on Edwards. While Edwards explained there aren’t currently any trans-identifying athletes in their district, there are several documented instances of trans-identifying athletes competing — and winning — in girls’ sports within the CIF. For instance, AB Hernandez, a male track and field athlete in the CIF, recently went viral for winning a girls’ triple jump event by a shocking eight-foot advantage.
“My daughter definitely has expressed to me she does not want to compete against male athletes,” Edwards said.
In fact, just a few years ago, neighboring Truckee faced a similar situation when the district’s female track and field team made it to Regionals and States 2023 North Valleys, Edwards recalled.
“They were in a relay, and they were about to win. A boy grabbed the baton at the very last minute and flew by Truckee, and they [the other team] ended up winning,” she said.
TTUSD’s parents have since discovered that the district’s attorney is the same counsel advising South Tahoe High School — a surprising fact, since South Tahoe has chosen not to exit the NIAA yet, opting to instead seek waivers and delay action.
Edwards explained this inconsistency only fueled parental frustrations. At the school board meeting earlier this month, parents asked why their board jumped the gun and made a decision that hadn’t been well thought out, she said. They demanded that TTUSD slow down and seek alternative legal remedies, including waivers from the NIAA and appeals to California’s attorney general.
TTUSD’s parents also warned district officials that they were prepared to take action, Edwards said. In fact, a petition to stay in the NIAA surged past 1,000 signatures ahead of the May 7 meeting, had over 1,300 following the meeting, and is nearly at 2,000 signatures at the time of publication. Parents were even prepared to petition to recall the board as a next step if need be, Edwards said.
At least two female board members appeared moved by testimony from students, Edwards said, after learning about how the switch could devastate teams like soccer.
“The board said they would try a little harder,” Edwards said. “Everyone was just really disappointed. We felt like they’re not really fighting for the kids or working hard enough to figure something out.”
That disappointment turned into relief just a week later. At a follow-up meeting on May 14 –– the day before the league commitment deadline –– the board voted to postpone its move to CIF for the 2025-26 school year. This decision gives families at least another year of participation in the NIAA and stands as a testament to the power of parents who mobilized quickly under pressure.
“I had a lot of anxiety going into the meeting and was assuming that we would be forced to participate in the CIF league,” Edwards said. “I wasn’t sure how much was accomplished in the week we had to persuade our board and superintendent to stay with the NIAA.”
Ultimately, Edwards credited the overwhelming turnout from parents, coaches, and especially students for shifting the outcome.
“I believe parents made a huge impact and worked really hard to make sure our concerns were heard,” she said. “I feel like the community rallied and really came together to fight the board on this decision, but it was not only the parents. A lot of coaches wrote letters and spoke, but I actually believe the students that got up and spoke made the biggest impact during the board meetings.”
Edwards believes the board delayed the switch because they were forced to reckon with the real-world consequences of their policy, as the proposed schedule was impractical. She told IW Features she hopes this victory sends a broader message to families who feel disempowered amidst changes in their children’s schools.
While this is indeed a win for TTUSD families, Edwards added that they may be fighting this battle once again in a year unless California’s laws change.
Still, although the Golden State is notoriously ideologically progressive, there have been ongoing legal challenges and investigations into CIF’s policies on trans-identifying athletes. For instance, a lawsuit was filed against San José State University alleging that allowing a trans-identifying athlete to compete in women’s volleyball violated Title IX, though the judge rejected the request for an injunction, allowing the athlete to continue playing. And while that lawsuit didn’t catch steam, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights initiated a federal investigation into CIF’s policy in February 2025, following President Trump’s aforementioned executive order.
Edwards’ advice to fellow parents in California and beyond is not to give up, and to “push back to protect what you believe in. There are more people out there that share the same feelings as you, and you may not realize how much support you have until you make your voice heard.”
