Committee hears bill to sanction high school lacrosse, NIAA objects to bypassing its standard process

Carson City — Sen. Fabian Nagnate (D.-Dist. 10) and representatives of the Las Vegas Desert Dogs presented Senate Bill 305 to the Senate Committee on Education, seeking legislative direction to have the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association (NIAA) designate lacrosse as a sanctioned high-school sport and to establish a fund to support infrastructure and wraparound services for student-athletes.

SB305 would require NIAA to adopt regulations designating lacrosse as a sanctioned sport, set eligibility and participation standards, and establish season dates and safety guidelines consistent with existing regulations under NRS 385B. The bill also would create a pipeline-infrastructure fund to accept donations and grants to support facilities, coaching development and “wraparound” academic and health services for student athletes.

Proponents argued sanctioning would let Nevada schools compete against sanctioned programs in other states, attract tournaments and college recruiting attention, expand scholarship pathways, and grow youth participation. “Sanctioning lacrosse would give more students the opportunity to compete for a state championship and be noticed by more colleges for scholarship opportunities,” Sen. Nagnate said. Paul Speaker, chief executive officer of the professional Las Vegas Desert Dogs franchise, described national growth in lacrosse, the sport’s inclusion in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic program, and community outreach by his team.

Local youth and coaches offered firsthand accounts. Dossy Persky, founder of Vegas Strong Lacrosse, said her club has grown from a few players to more than 120 youth athletes and has placed players in college programs, but that lack of school recognition prevents some students from signing national letters of intent at their schools. Several current high-school and youth players told the committee they want the opportunity to play for their high schools and to be eligible for state championship competition.

Opponents included the NIAA, Washoe County School District and Nevada Association of School Boards. Tim Jackson, executive director of the NIAA, told the committee the association supports student athletics but opposes legislating the sanctioning process for a single sport. “We are not in opposition to athletics or to lacrosse; we are in opposition to the process they are attempting to do,” Jackson said, arguing the NIAA has established procedures to evaluate and approve new sanctioned sports and to consider competitive balance, Title IX equity, district costs, and implementation timelines.

Washoe County School District counsel Tess Opperman echoed concerns about process and cost to districts and said the district supports lacrosse but prefers that the sport be advanced through the NIAA’s review rather than by statute. The Nevada Association of School Boards acknowledged the sport’s popularity but said the statutory deadlines and direction in SB305 would short-circuit the NIAA process each district follows to assess costs and readiness.

Committee questions focused on several topics: whether the NIAA had been consulted and whether the sport could advance by the NIAA’s established pathway; what “wraparound” services the proposed fund would support; how sanctioning would affect club-versus-high-school competition and inter-state play; and whether Title IX compliance had been sufficiently addressed. Sen. Titus asked whether the pipeline language could be misconstrued as emphasizing professional pathways; the sponsor said wraparound services are intended to support student success in school and athletics, not to prioritize professional careers.

No committee vote was recorded at the hearing. The committee took testimony on the record and set time-limited public testimony: supporters were given 20 minutes, opponents 20 minutes and neutral testimony 20 minutes during the session. The NIAA requested that any adoption of a sanctioned sport follow the association’s established procedures to ensure equitable treatment of all athletics programs and to address district-level resource impacts.

Why it matters

Proponents said sanctioning would expand access to lacrosse for Nevada students, increase college recruiting opportunities and create economic activity through tournaments; opponents said the bill seeks to bypass a deliberative association process that balances competitive fairness, Title IX, and district fiscal capacity.

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