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Two additional games have been scratched from the schedule for a girls’ high school volleyball team in California after other schools agreed to forfeit their matches amid a controversy over a transgender player on the team.

The forfeits were confirmed to Fox News Digital by Maribel Munoz, a mother of a player on Jurupa Valley High School’s girls’ volleyball team, after coach Liana Manu sent a message to parents alerting them of the new cancellations. The matches called off by the opposing schools were those against Rim of the World High School scheduled for Aug. 25 and Orange Vista High School scheduled for Aug. 29.

Jurupa Valley Unified School District (JUSD) issued a statement about the recent forfeits, explaining that it was not the author of those decisions. “We understand and acknowledge the disappointment of our Jurupa Valley High School athletes who are ready and prepared to play. Decisions to cancel matches were made by teams in other districts,” the statement said.

The district also noted that under California law, the school has a responsibility not to discriminate against a student based on their gender identity. Specifically, Education Code 221.5 (f) requires schools to allow students to “participate on athletic teams and engage in athletic activities consistent with the student’s gender identity.”

The district officials added that its guidance about the matter is in line with that of both California Attorney General Rob Bonta and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond.

“We are proud of our JVHS Jaguars and their willingness to play any team and represent their school and our district with pride,” the district said, noting that it was working on rescheduling games so the team would not miss opportunities to play.

The latest forfeits are follow up on another recent development where Riverside Poly High School backed out of an Aug. 15 game against Jurupa Valley. Fox News Digital was told by parents of players on the Riverside team and a Riverside school board member that their decision was because of the school’s transgender athlete, a senior named AB Hernandez.

AB Hernandez’s Mother Offers Statement on Forfeits, Family Fight for Respect

Hernandez’s mother, Nereyda Hernandez, offered a statement in response to the growing controversy and criticism. “I understand the discomfort some may feel, because I was once there, too. The difference is, I chose to learn, to grow, and to open my heart,” she said.

Hernandez’s mother also pointed out that her daughter is actually on the smaller side for the sport. “She’s petite, more so because of her age than her transgender identity. Yet, while her height and muscularity do not match up with some of the other players, she is anything but weak when it comes to her game,” Hernandez explained.

She added: “This is a child, and I can assure you that she sees your daughters as peers, as teammates, as friends, not through a lens of anything inappropriate. If your daughters feel any differently, I am truly sorry. In fact, I am so sorry that my daughter did not know about the forfeited game until she saw our families posting about it on social media.”

In the spring, Hernandez was able to claim two state titles at the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) level in both the long jump and triple jump in track and field. The success led to protests from other female athletes and their parents, many of whom showed up at an August CIF meeting sporting “Save Girls Sports” shirts.

On Truth Social, former President Donald Trump also sent out a message on the day of the state finals urging California to bar a trans athlete from competing, though he didn’t mention Hernandez by name.

In July, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the California Department of Education and the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) over its policy allowing transgender athletes to compete in girls’ sports, despite Trump having signed an executive order back in February to try to prevent it.

The trans volleyball season is in its early stages and all Hernandez wants to do is play. Instead, the controversy has been marred by forfeits.

Jurupa Valley parent Munoz, whose daughter has played alongside Hernandez for the last three years, criticized the focus that has been put on the trans player and how it has affected the other athletes.

“It makes me feel sad, it makes me feel angry, frustrated, just so many emotions,” Munoz said.

Local school board meetings have also been a site of tense division between parents in recent weeks. At a Riverside Unified School District meeting, members of the public both commended Riverside Poly athletes for their refusal to play against the Jurupa Valley team and defended transgender students’ right to play.