NOTES: Henderson International students get free transfer for private or home-zoned schools

RENO — Many Henderson International students still have a decision to make about where they’ll attend school next year.

The Meritas Schools announced two weeks ago that Henderson International will close at the end of the school year, leaving approximately 80-90 underclassmen needing to find a different high school.

The school’s athletes, though, will be able to play at any other Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association member private school or the public school for which they are zoned next year.

NIAA executive director Eddie Bonine on Thursday reminded the association’s Board of Control of the association’s transfer rules.

Those rules usually require a student to be held out of competition for 180 school days if he or she transfers schools.

“Kids can go free and clear to another private or to their home-zoned school,” Bonine said.

If students go to a public school outside of their zoned area, they need a zone variance in order to play sports. Students on a zone variance can not play varsity sports for 180 school days.

1A MEET? — Virginia City cross country coach James Young asked the Board to consider having a state meet for Class 1A cross country.

Class 1A schools currently run in the Class 2A meet at region and state competition.

“The numbers are strong enough that we could have a 1A region and state cross country meet,” Young said.

NIAA rules allow for classifications to have their own state meet if there are at least nine schools competing in that classification.

At last year’s region meets, athletes from 10 Class 1A and nine Class 2A schools, though each school did not necessarily field a complete team.

VOLLEYBALL — NIAA assistant director Donnie Nelson asked the board to consider a change to the state volleyball tournament that would allow semifinal matches to be held at two sites.

All eight semifinals (two in each of the four classes) were played in one day at Silverado this year, with matches beginning early in the morning until late at night.

“We’ve gotten to the point where matches are so long that you end up pushing back start times,” Nelson said.

The Board discussed having the tournament take place in a three-day span — similar to basketball — instead of the current two-day format.

“Two sites is better than three days,” Needles athletic director Bill Darrow said. “Districts won’t be too big on that.”

The tournament could be staggered, though, so that some schools would play Thursday-Friday and others would play Friday-Saturday.

The board is expected to make a final decision in June.