Athletic programs at two high schools on the Northern Nevada-California border will withdraw from the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association following the organization's adoption of a policy requiring student-athletes to compete according to their birth gender.
According to the Las Vegas Sun, citing Nevada Sports Net reporting, Truckee High School and North Tahoe High School are making the switch, citing conflict with California law.
Tahoe Truckee Unified School District superintendent Kerstin Kramer formally announced the decision in a communication to families, according to Nevada Sports Net's coverage published today. The outlet specializes in Reno-area sports coverage.
Beginning in August with the new academic year, both California schools — despite their proximity to the Nevada border — will transition to competing within the California Interscholastic Federation, Kramer indicated in her statement.
"Please know that this decision, while driven by our requirement to comply with California state law, was not taken lightly," she wrote in a letter obtained by Nevada Sports Net. "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, which guarantees students' rights to privacy and protects them from discrimination. Aligning with CIF ensures our compliance with state law."
The NIAA Board of Control last month reversed a 2014 policy that allowed transgender high school students to play for teams that align with their gender identity.
It follows a February executive order from President Donald Trump seeking to ban transgender athletes in women's sports.
Under the new policy, student athletes would be required to complete a medical form that includes signatures from the student, parent and a medical provider verifying the accuracy of the student's birth sex. The policy states that "sex" is not synonymous for and "does not include the concept of gender identity."
The previous policy allowed high school student athletes to participate in an NIAA-sanctioned sport that aligned with their preferred gender identity, regardless of the gender listed on their birth certificate.
