Parents of California high school students spoke out Thursday against a mandate forcing athletes into new leagues that allow transgender participation and require travel on dangerous winter roads.
The California Department of Education notified parents in the Tahoe Truckee Unified School District (TTUSD) on Dec. 9 that their athletic programs would be moved to the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) starting next school year, according to a TTUSD statement.
Following concerns about scheduling conflicts, the TTUSD announced a compromise: The district would legally join CIF in July but continue participating in its current league until the end of the 2028 school year. (RELATED: Joe Rogan Blasts California For Enabling ‘Monsters’ To Roam And Devour Pets)
Parents and students, though, say they don’t appreciate that the new league’s policies require girls to compete against boys — all while forcing students to travel across dangerous mountainous roads in the dead of winter. They raised their concerns during a TTUSD school district meeting on Dec. 17.
One female high school track and field athlete addressed CIF mandates allowing biological men to participate in female sports.
“I don’t see how it would be fair for female athletes to compete against a biological male because they’re stronger, they’re taller, they’re faster, and it’s just not fair,” the young woman said. “And I just don’t see a point in, you know, completely making a switch yet. And I think that if there’s any opportunity to stay in the NIAA, I think that you should, you know, take that opportunity.”
One father, an attorney, said the community is generally accepting of transgender individuals but that their opposition to their participation in women’s sports “doesn’t have to be political.”
He continued by suggesting that the TTUSD board seek an injunction, as the Department of Justice is already challenging the participation of transgender individuals on sports teams that don’t match their biological sex.
“You can simply say this issue is up in front of the courts and a lot of harm is going to be incurred if we undertake this move at this point, only to maybe later find out it was not necessary,” the attorney argued. “There’s a federal fight brewing over this issue that should provide enough cover to get a temporary restraining order on this move and enjoin the California Department of Education.”
Other parents raised the issue of carting student athletes across treacherous, snowy roads to participate in sporting events.
Currently, TTUSD athletic programs allow them to play nearby schools, even if they are across state lines, such as in Nevada. However, the switch to CIF would see many teams traveling for competitions in Tahoe — which requires going through the mountainous Donner Pass in the dead of winter.
One local high school girls basketball coach and parent of two children directly affected by the decision gave public comment on “the serious ramifications and unintended consequences” of the switch to the new sports league.
SODA SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 29: A sign marks Donner Summit as snow falls along Interstate 80 (I-80) in the Sierra Nevada mountains at the start of a powerful winter storm on February 29, 2024 near Soda Springs, California. Blizzard warnings have been issued with snowfall of up to 12 feet and wind gusts of up to 100 mph expected in some higher elevation locations during the multiple day storm. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
“If this mandate to join the CIF proceeds, both my kids and hundreds of other kids will be forced to take buses over the summit for half their games, subjecting them to foreseeable harm by way of serious traffic accidents traversing the summit in winter at night, which could result in serious injury or death,” the father and coach said. “This is not a matter of if, but when these accidents occur on our winter roads over the summit.”
A concerned mother pointed out that TTUSD had already tried to make the switch to CIF in previous years but always backed out due to concerns about dangerous roads. She also said the merger would endanger parents and students from competing schools.
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