The California Department of Education (CDE) has stood by its demand that the Tahoe Truckee Unified School District (TTUSD) switch sports associations to a league that allows biological male trans athletes to compete in girls sports. 

The switch would require the school to embark on much longer and more treacherous road trips to competing schools, and critics say that will cause distress and safety concerns among students and parents. 

Students would have to travel through California’s Donner Pass, a 7,056-foot mountain pass. During winter, the pass is known for being dangerous due to extreme weather conditions like heavy snowfall, strong winds and icy roads. 

The high elevation and frequent storms contribute to treacherous travel conditions, including the potential for avalanches. 

At a school board meeting this week, residents expressed their opposition to the CDE’s mandate for the TTUSD to switch from the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association (NIAA) to the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF).

Truckee High School girls track and field athlete Ava Cockrum spoke about the danger the commute would present for her and other students. 

“It’s dangerous,” Cockrum said. “It just doesn’t seem safe at all. … You’re going to be prone to danger.” 

Cockrum also protested the notion of girls having to compete against males. 

“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. … It’s just not fair,” Cockrum added. 

The teen received applause from residents in attendance. 

The TTUSD has historically competed in the NIAA due to its proximity to Nevada schools. However, after the NIAA changed its policy to only allow biological females to compete in girls sports earlier this year, the CDE demanded TTUSD switch to the CIF. 

TTUSD requested to delay the move, it announced in a memo last week, “due to significant logistical challenges.” But the district claims the state is not showing any leniency and that defying the order could result in financial and legal penalties.

“Last week, TTUSD received a mandatory order from the California Department of Education (CDE) ordering our athletic programs to move to the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) beginning in the 2026-2027 school year due to a formal complaint filed against TTUSD,” the announcement said. 

“The decision is no longer within the TTUSD’s local control. 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 addressing the situation to ABC 10.

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“California law requires that students be permitted to participate on the sports team that corresponds with their gender identity. California local educational agencies (LEAs) are required to follow California law regardless of which state’s athletic association they join,” the statement said. 

The situation has drawn the scrutiny of several California politicians. 

“This is a new low. California is forcing Tahoe Truckee Unified to compete in CA instead of Nevada, despite this being impractical and unsafe for athletes whose seasons will move from Spring to Winter in a snowy area. The reason: Nevada doesn’t allow males in female sports,” Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., wrote on X. 

“For 40 years, Tahoe Truckee Unified has chosen to compete in Nevada because sports like soccer and tennis are played in the spring there. In California, these are winter sports, which is impractical in snowy areas like Tahoe and presents travel safety concerns. 

“Yet the state has overridden this local decision for no other reason than to preserve the ability for biological males at the district’s schools to compete in the female division. This will decimate several sports, and schools in the district may not even be able to field teams.”

Nevada Lt. Gov. Stavros Anthony also condemned the move in an X post.

“California is forcing schools to exit Nevada, despite decades of successfully competing in our state. We are taking a commonsense approach with female athletes. Since my Task Force on Protecting Women’s Sports, there has not been an incident with men playing in women’s sports,” Anthony wrote. 

CIF is one of many high school sports conferences located in blue states to defy President Donald Trump’s executive order since it was signed Feb. 5. 

The CIF is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education for its defiance of the order, and Education Secretary Linda McMahon has warned Gov. Gavin Newsom his state could be subject to federal funding freezes if it continues to defy the order. 

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The Denver Broncos saw their 11-game winning streak end thanks to the Jacksonville Jaguars. It was a pretty brutal performance all the way around from Denver, but thanks to that 11-game winning streak, the Broncos were actually able to lose a game – they could afford a loss, if that makes sense.

Even with the Bills, Chargers, and Patriots all winning in Week 16, the 12-3 Broncos are still atop the AFC West and atop the AFC. All Denver has to do is win their final two games, and both things will be clinched. With Denver slowly beginning to battle key injuries, getting that first-round bye could be massive for the health of the team.

With the Kansas City Chiefs likely starting a third-string QB in Week 17, you would like to think that Denver can take care of business and get to 13-3, which could set up a massive showdown with the Los Angeles Chargers for the division title. Well, that game just got a bit more interesting, as a key Chargers’ defensive player was just suspended.

Chargers lose starting linebacker Denzel Perryman to a two-game suspension

Here is the update from Tom Pelissero:

Denzel Perryman is a starting linebacker for the Los Angeles Chargers and was essentially suspended two games for not playing a clean, safe version of football. This obviously means that Perryman is not suiting up for the remainder of the regular season, but will be back in time for the playoffs.

Perryman, 33 years old, is on his second stint with the Chargers and has now played in 10 games this year. In those 1- games, he’s racked up three passes defended, 47 total tackles, and four tackles for loss. Perryman is definitely more of a tone-setter on the defensive side of the ball and not someone who is going to make those hyper-athletic splashy plays that some linebackers can make.

This is huge for the Chargers’ defense, a very good unit thanks to defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, but the personnel on that side of the ball aren’t super talented. The Chargers are one of those teams that honestly benefit more from great coaching than they do having more talent than the opponent.

The Bolts can still win the AFC West, but they would have to win their final two games. Not having Denzel Perryman for a massive Week 18 showdown in Denver is flat-out massive and a huge blow to their defense.