North Wasco approves one-year co-op agreements with Dufour for baseball and softball

The North Wasco County School District 21 Board of Directors approved one-year cooperative sponsorship agreements with Dufour School District for boys baseball and girls softball for the 2024–25 school year.

Principal Evans and head baseball coach Pat Clark told the board the co-op would allow a handful of Dufour students to participate in sports they otherwise could not field locally. Clark said the district's current baseball registration sits at about 31 students; removing students who likely will not participate leaves roughly 25 Dallas students this year and the Dufour additions would prevent the program from collapsing to a single team. "No kid's gonna miss out," Clark said, adding that the co-op would improve the experience for Dufour student-athletes and help sustain Dallas programs.

Board members asked for enrollment lists and eligibility assurances. One director requested a roster prior to the season to ensure Dallas students would not lose playing opportunities if registration surged. Principal Evans said the district checks academic eligibility and obtains records from the sending district for nonresident athletes.

Evans also read OSAA guidance the district uses to review cooperative agreements and said the intent is to expand participation for students who otherwise lack access to a program. Coach Clark told the board he believed opposition in some quarters came from personal disagreements and urged members not to base their votes on private animus, saying "We can't cut a player from my program because I don't like their dad, nor would I ever." Student board representatives who spoke during the item said they favored broader participation and welcomed more teammates.

The board approved the two cooperative agreements in separate motions; both motions passed in open session.