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A girls’ high school volleyball team in California will have two more games forfeited by opposing schools as an already highly-charged controversy over a transgender athlete on the roster continues to swirl.

Maribel Munoz, the mother of a player on the Jurupa Valley High School girls’ volleyball team, confirmed the news after being told by the team’s coach, Liana Manu, that the two games had been scratched by their opponents. The forfeits affect matches originally scheduled against Rim of the World High School on Aug. 25 and Orange Vista High School on Aug. 29.

Jurupa Valley Unified School District (JUSD) also released a statement on the new forfeits, clarifying it had not forced the cancellations. “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 said in the statement that it is obligated to follow California law, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity. Citing Education Code 221.5 (f), the district said schools are required to “permit students to participate on athletic teams that are consistent with their gender identity.”

District officials said the guidance for schools is in line with statements from 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 added, saying it would work to reschedule games so students would have “opportunities to play.”

The forfeits are in addition to a walk-off by Riverside Poly High School in a scheduled Aug. 15 game. Parents of athletes and a local school board member confirmed to Fox News Digital that the decision to cancel was over the team’s transgender player, senior AB Hernandez.

Mother of transgender athlete makes public plea in wake of forfeits

Hernandez’s mother, Nereyda Hernandez, posted a statement after the first forfeit, pleading with the community for understanding. “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 wrote.

Hernandez went on to stress her daughter is a petite player and that this was not due to her being transgender. “The thing that makes my daughter stand out is not her size. It’s not her strength. It’s her skill and her commitment to the game,” she said.

“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. I also want you to know that she was not even aware that her playing caused anyone to forfeit against our school,” she added.

AB Hernandez has previously been the subject of national attention. Last spring, she won two California state titles, long jump and triple jump, during the track and field season. The victories were met with protests from other female athletes and their parents, many of whom were wearing “Save Girls’ Sports” shirts. The former President at the time, Donald Trump, posted on Truth Social ahead of the state finals, writing that California should not allow a trans athlete to compete. (He did not mention Hernandez by name.)

In July, the Justice Department 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. The lawsuit was filed despite a Trump executive order signed in February that directed the Education Department to ban transgender girls and women from participating in school sports.

It is Hernandez’s final year of high school volleyball, but instead of focusing on her matches, the season is being defined by forfeits and community division.

Munoz, a Jurupa Valley parent whose daughter has played alongside Hernandez on the JVHS team for the past three years, told Fox News Digital she was dissatisfied with the way things have gone. “It makes me feel sad, it makes me feel angry, frustrated, just so many emotions,” she said.

Community members have also raised their voices at local school board meetings. At a recent Riverside Unified School District meeting, parents both expressed support for the Riverside Poly athletes for forfeiting and spoke out in support of transgender kids’ right to play.