TRUCKEE, Calif. – The Tahoe Truckee Unified School District Board of Trustees and Superintendent Kerstin Kramer agreed to delay the decision to move from the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association (NIAA) to the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) for one year. The board came to the decision after holding a special meeting to discuss the topic on Wednesday night, May 14, following a regular meeting a week prior that elicited a large public response.

Board members weighed the dilemma and difficulties that either switching to the CIF or remaining with the NIAA could each bring to the district and its students. Staying with the NIAA could exclude and harm trans athletes. Switching to the CIF could exclude or harm athletes that currently play in district boys and girls sports due to the changes it would bring to sports season schedules, increased competitiveness, drives over the summit, among other concerns.

The district faced the decision due to the NIAA’s early April decision to limit sports participation to an athlete’s sex at birth, potentially conflicting with California state law. A decision to switch district was rushed due to NIAA’s scheduling deadline of May 15.

“They imposed a policy on us that they knew damn well was going to put us in a situation where we are having now a moral dilemma,” trustee Patrick Mooney said. “Which kids are we going to protect?”

California education code currently prohibits excluding students from activities based on actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender, or gender expression.

The NIAA’s change also brings about a new sports physical form, which requests details of a student’s sex at birth, possibly raising privacy concerns for students.

At the start of the meeting, Kramer gave a presentation on insights obtained since last week’s meeting. She discussed a waiver inquiry with the California Department of Education (which they are still awaiting a response on), the legal risk for the district, and further impacts to sports, in addition to potential facilities improvements to accommodate a soccer season switch to winter.

The legal risks of not switching to the CIF are potential lawsuits from parents and students harmed as well as an investigation from the Attorney General.

There are options for facility improvements to provide a winter soccer space. However, the options come with challenges. Those include passing the stringent standards the Division of the State Architect has for schools, time to completion, as well as the costs, with all possibilities in the millions.

Executive staff and athletic directors from both Truckee High School and North Tahoe High School provided input on what a switch to CIF would entail for their schools. They explained that an immediate switch to CIF would place the teams in the very competitive Foothill Valley League due to limitations in scheduling for the 2025-2026 year. Yet, the following year, CIF would place TTUSD teams in the Pioneer Valley League. This Pioneer Valley League provides teams that are more competitively matched and school populations similar to the TTUSD’s.

The board conducted this special meeting in order to discuss these insights and also allow further opportunity for the community to weigh in.

Parents, students, athletes and community members provided ample feedback, posing the dilemma from many different perspectives and voices, as well as legal input. Comment expressed continued concerns surrounding safety with travel over the pass, sports impacts, athletes being forced to choose between sports, the uncertainty of applicable state law amid lawsuits, and the fairness of competition for females with trans athletes. Others sympathized with the trans community and provided a voice for those athletes.

Board discussion followed the hour plus of public comment.

“We have not created a system that doesn’t leave people behind at this point, in my opinion, and I hear that in every single parent’s voice, every single student’s voice,” trustee Denyelle Nishimori said. The trustee was impacted by a multi-sport athlete’s comment who said they wouldn’t support being a part of a system that leaves people behind. Nishimori said a one-year delay offers time to have additional community conversations to find a solution that fits TTUSD.

“Without having the benefit of that, we’re not solving anything,” Nishimori continued to say. “We’re really just changing the level of discrimination and who it’s pointed at.”

A representative from State Senator Marie Alvarado-Gil’s office made an appearance during public comment and said their office doesn’t see a problem with a one-year delay.

Board president Dianna Driller was the first to vocalize support for a one-year delay with all trustees agreeing.

Trustee Kirsten Livak noted that despite such a decisive topic, applauded the community and board for joining together to try and figure out solutions instead of turning against each other.

The evening ended with applause at Superintendent Kramer’s announcement that she would contact the NIAA and CIF to inform them of their decision to remain in the NIAA for the 2025-2026 school year.

“Just know this,” the Superintendent said, “we’re delaying, but we’ll keep working together, and I love the outcome of creating a system where no one’s left behind and that we’re going to stick together and work together.”

The district plans on providing regular updates on the topic at board meetings throughout the year.