(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares announced Wednesday that his office will investigate allegations that an elite high school in Virginia systematically discriminated against Asian students for years.
Miyares’ investigation is related to a Dec. 21 article from City Journal, which reported that information about National Merit Awards was withheld from students at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology until after college scholarship application deadlines had passed. According to City Journal, the delays prevented the students, most of them Asian, from using the awards to boost their college admission prospects and earn scholarships.
Miyares also announced Wednesday that his office will conduct a separate investigation into Thomas Jefferson High School’s allegedly anti-Asian admissions policies. The attorney general noted a “significant drop” in the number of Asians attending the school following its elimination of race-neutral standardized admissions tests.
“Students at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology are amongst the brightest in the nation, yet some have been punished in the name of ‘equity,’” Miyares said. “Every American, every Virginian, should be outraged that a child today is being denied their dreams because of their racial background. Using race to determine admission to one of our top high schools is wrong and unjust.”
Miyares’ announcement comes after Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin sent him a letter Tuesday, asking the attorney general to launch the probe.
“I am stunned by news reports alleging that information about National Merit Awards, as determined by student PSAT scores, was withheld from students at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology until after important deadlines for college scholarships had passed,” Youngkin said. “I believe this failure may have caused material harm to those students and their parents, and that this failure may have violated the Virginia Human Rights Act.”
Thomas Jefferson High School also faces a federal class action lawsuit over its allegedly anti-Asian admissions policies. That case is still pending before the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Fairfax County Public Schools has reportedly explained its policies at Thomas Jefferson High School as follows: “Fairfax County Public Schools and the Fairfax County School Board remain committed to ensuring that all FCPS students have access and opportunities to reach their fullest potential.
“It is in that vein that the Board fervently supported removing the historical barriers and inequities faced by students from culturally and ethnically diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, while still ensuring that TJ maintains its high academic standards.”
Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at twitter.com/jd_cashless.
