Elite Virginia high school's admissions policy under Trump admin scrutiny amid discrimination complaints
One of the nation's most highly ranked high schools is once again in the spotlight over its admissions policies after the U.S. Department of Education announced it would be launching an investigation into the matter.
The announcement comes after the state's Republican Attorney General, Jason Miyares, said his office has found reasonable cause after a multi-year investigation determining that Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST), which is overseen by Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) system, operates an admissions process that discriminates against applicants of Asian heritage.
"The Fairfax County School Board made clear its intended outcome was to reduce opportunities for Asian American students—and that's exactly what occurred," Miyares said. "These students are not statistics. They are sons and daughters, neighbors, classmates and Virginians who deserve equal protection and opportunity under the law."
The controversy began in 2020 when TJHSST made changes to its admissions policies to sensibly promote diversity. This was done through the elimination of standardized testing and application fees for interested students, implementing a holistic review process that considers factors like socioeconomic status and geographical location, and seething aside a certain number of spots for students from each middle school in the county.
In response, parents filed a lawsuit against the district, alleging that the new admissions policy discriminated against asian students. A federal district court subsequently ruled in favor of the parents, but that ruling was later overturned by a federal appeals court.
The U.S. Supreme Court eventually declined to hear the case, effectively cementing the appeals court's ruling. Conservative Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented and warned of the possible implications the appeals court's ruling could have for other admissions policies at other schools across the country.
Miyares has been investigating TJHSST's admissions policies since 2023, concluding this week that there was reasonable cause to determine FCPS was "discriminating against Asian American students."
According to Miyares, when TJHSST first implemented its new admissions policy, Asian American students made up over 65% of the school's admitted classes. But over a period of just one year, Asian American admissions dropped 19 points, he noted.
"Internal communications confirm that this outcome was intentional. The Board reviewed proposal after proposal until it could guarantee the racial 'diversity' the Board was after," Miyares office said. "And in the zero-sum game of school admissions, achieving the Board's preferred racial balance meant that fewer Asian American students would be accepted."
The Department of Justice said Wednesday it would work with the Department of Education to probe the potential Title VI violation, after Miyares' office referred the matter to them for investigation. The Trump administration has threatened to withhold funding from schools over potentially discriminatory diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, FCPS said the matter has already been adjudicated by the courts, which it said have determined there is no merit behind the allegations that its admissions policies are discriminatory.
Nonetheless, the statement said the district was reviewing materials from the Attorney General and will issue a more detailed response in the near future.
"This matter has already been fully litigated. A federal appellate court determined there was no merit to arguments that the admissions policy for Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology discriminates against any group of students," the statement read. "Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) division leadership and counsel are currently reviewing the documents released today by the Attorney General and will issue a more detailed response in the coming days. FCPS remains committed to providing a world-class education for all of our students."
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