HENDERSON -- The Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association, with the possibility of a Title IX lawsuit looming, Wednesday affirmed its decision to move Class 4-A girls soccer to the fall season, starting this year.

A complaint filed by Eric Johnson, a Henderson Green Valley High School parent, led to the decision by the NIAA to hold a special meeting at Coronado High School. By a vote of 6-1 (with two board of control members absent), the decision was made to go forth with the switch.

That decision is of special interest to Pahrump Valley High School, since it will move from the Southern Nevada Class 3-A League into the 4-A Sunset Region Southwest Division in fall 2008.

Lady Trojans soccer is already included in the fall sports schedules.

According to the minutes from a NIAA meeting held in Reno earlier this month, Johnson wanted the association and Clark County School District to delay the move of soccer until those two groups can add an additional field sport in the winter for girls attending CCSD 4-A schools.

A field sport is played outdoors, which means that if the NIAA had to add one, there aren't that many choices. Lacrosse is already played at some Las Vegas schools; there is also field hockey, which is a dominant sport in the Eastern United States.

Title IX, legislated 36 years ago, bans gender discrimination at schools receiving federal funds. It has helped provide women athletes with opportunities that did not exist before it was signed into law in 1972. Johnson said Title IX infringement would exist if soccer was moved from the winter to the fall.

Because of the decision Wednesday, Johnson -- whose daughter plays soccer and volleyball -- could still file suit, which is why NIAA officials will make no comment.

At the meeting earlier this month, NIAA member Dan Phillips moved that the board move into a closed session, with league liasons and the CCSD legal counselor asked to remain.

It was agreed that a special meeting be held later in March (which was why the session was held here Wednesday).

There were two options, according the minutes: have the meeting held Wednesday, or if it went to court, the CCSD and NIAA could be put in the "position of a Title IX audit and be court-ordered to field additional girls sports."

NIAA counsel suggested that girls soccer remain in the winter, until the CCSD could add another winter sport.

The NIAA first approved the change of season in December, 2005. It was done so that a true state champion could be decided in girls soccer. The North 4-A girls teams have played in the fall since Class 4-A was added in 2001. The Southern girls have played 4-A-level soccer in the winter, which meant there was no opportunity for one state champion to be determined.

Volleyball is a fall sport for girls in all classifications.

In other NIAA news from the March 5-6 meeting...

Laughlin will be an independent in all sports, except wrestling and cross country;

Las Vegas Agassi Prep will be in Class 2-A and Yerington will move into Class 3-A in all sports;

Findlay Prep is considered a prep school, which means NIAA teams will have to get association approval to play the Henderson-based team in basketball;

Jackpot requested that it be allowed to move into an Idaho league to play football;

Mineral County Hawthorne asked that its entire athletics program be moved into Class A; if that is not approved, the school will ask that its football team be granted independent status. Watch for action at the June meeting.

Rite of Passage School in Yerington will apply for private school status.

The NIAA's next regular meeting June 18-19 in Reno. At that meeting, expect Faith Lutheran High School in Las Vegas ask that it be moved into Class 4-A as early as 2009-2010. Faith Lutheran will be in the Southern 3-A League with Boulder City, Mesquite Virgin Valley and Overton Moapa Valley in the 2008-2009 school year.