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Controversy grows as California forces schools to switch to athletics league that lets males in girls sports
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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.
CALIFORNIA GIRL OPENS UP ON FIGHTING LEGAL AND POLITICAL BATTLE OVER TRANS ATHLETES AFTER LIFE-CHANGING PAIN
A school bus in downtown Truckee in Truckee, Calif., Dec. 13, 2024. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“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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HELENA — On Monday, Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen sent a letter to the City of Helena claiming the municipality is not in compliance with the state’s law banning “sanctuary cities.” The letter comes just under a month after the State of Montana launched an investigation into a city resolution on Helena Police policy and Helena’s involvement in federal immigration enforcement.
In the letter, Knudsen laid out the ways he believes the city’s resolution violated state law. The attorney general gave Helena 15 days to respond or reverse the policy. If the city does not comply, his office will pursue legal action.
“Helena’s resolution appears to contain blatant violations of this law,” wrote Knudsen.
MTN News
On January 26, 2026, the City of Helena adopted a resolution clarifying when and how the Helena Police Department will cooperate with federal immigration officials. The vote was 4 to 1. The Helena commission seats and the mayor are elected in non-partisan races.
In the letter, Knudsen alleges the resolution established “a broad sanctuary city policy” that seeks to protect every illegal immigrant, regardless of whether the individual had committed a serious crime or not. The state further claims the resolution gives illegal immigrants “special privileges” in plea deals and establishes a “free-for-all policy” where a police officer can request the unmasking of Department of Homeland Security and ICE officers.
Knudsen has requested that the City of Helena, in their response, specifically describe in detail how the resolution complies with Montana law, provide emails and correspondence from city staff and the commission regarding the resolution.
Helena City manager Alana Lake told MTN in a statement: “The City of Helena is aware of the issues being raised by the Attorney General’s Office and is reviewing the matter. While we cannot discuss the details of a potential legal issue, the City is committed to transparency and compliance with the law. The City takes these matters seriously and will continue to cooperate with the appropriate authorities while remaining focused on serving our community.”
MTN News 
Passed in 2021, Montana House Bill 200 prohibits a state agency or local government from implementing any policy that prevents employees or departments from communicating with federal agencies regarding immigration or citizenship status for lawful purposes. It also states governments must comply with immigration detainer requests if they are lawfully made.
HB 200 was backed by Republicans and passed with only Republican votes. Gov. Greg Gianforte signed the legislation into law on March 31, 2021.
Passage of the resolution by the Helena City Commission has drawn ire from conservative voices in Montana politics and on the national level.
MTN News
The resolution said the commission supported the Helena Police Department avoiding “committing its resources to federal action for which it has no authority,” such as entering into an agreement with the federal government to directly enforce immigration laws. Under federal law, immigration enforcement is conducted by federal agencies under the Department of Homeland Security. However, under the Immigration and Nationality Act, state and local governments can voluntarily enter into 287 (g) agreements with the federal government that allow them to enforce immigration laws.
The commission further supported HPD’s policy not to stop, detain, or arrest a person solely on suspected violations of immigration law, including assisting other agencies in an arrest based solely on immigration law.
DEEPER LOOK: Helena has seen a growing debate over ICE and local police involvement
In the resolution, the commission also supported an HPD officer, using their own discretion, requesting the identification and unmasking of a Department of Homeland Security Officer if the HPD officer “feels it will not be interfering with the actions of federal officers exercising their jurisdiction.”
“This adversarial relationship by local law enforcement toward federal officers itself undermines public safety and forces immigration officers to fear for their safety when they are simply carrying out their lawful duties,” wrote Knudsen.
The resolution further supports the City of Helena’s policy not to consider immigration consequences in a plea agreement with a defendant.
Mack Carmack, MTN News
The commission also supports the City of Helena not disclosing any sensitive information about any person – including immigration status, sexual orientation, or social security number – except as required by law.
“This is a restriction that directly conflicts with Montana’s prohibition on sanctuary jurisdictions, specifically ‘sending to, receiving from, exchanging with, or maintaining for a federal, state, or local government entity information regarding a person’s citizenship or immigration status for a lawful purpose,’” the attorney general wrote.
If a government is found to be violating Montana’s law banning “sanctuary cities”, the state could fine them $10,000 every five days, prevent them from receiving new grants from the state, and have their projects with the state re-prioritized. A government in violation can avoid penalties by becoming compliant with the law within 14 days of being notified of the violation.
Read the full letter from the Montana Attorney General to the City of Helena:
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Tanya Tucker will perform at the 2026 New Mexico State Fair, officials announced Tuesday.
Tucker will take to the stage Friday, Sept. 18, after the Chevron PRCA rodeo. The Grammy Award-winning icon has racked up 10 No. 1 country hits since her first hit, “Delta Dawn,” at age 13.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to bring the legendary Tanya Tucker to the New Mexico State Fair,” said Dan Mourning, general manager of the New Mexico State Fair. “Tanya is one of the greatest icons in country music history and is the perfect fit for the Fair.”
Tucker has 23 Top-40 albums and 56 Top 40 singles on the Billboard country music charts. She has won two Country Music Association awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, three CMT Awards and two Grammys for Best Country Album and Best Country Song.
Tickets are set to go on sale on Friday at 10 a.m.
Here is the full 2026 New Mexico State Fair rodeo-concert lineup:
Friday, Sept. 11
Turnpike Troubadours with Chevron PRCA Xtreme Bulls
Saturday, Sept. 12
Ian Munsick with Chevron PRCA Xtreme Bulls
Wednesday, Sept. 16
Chevron PRCA Standalone Rodeo
Thursday, Sept. 17
Everclear with Chevron PRCA Rodeo
Friday, Sept. 18
Tanya Tucker with Chevron PRCA Rodeo
Saturday, Sept. 19
The Warning with Chevron PRCA Rodeo
Sunday, Sept. 20
Chevron PRCA Rodeo – Matinee
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