As Virginia pursues a civil rights investigation into Fairfax County’s Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology after it delayed distributing its students’ National Merit Awards, two other high schools have fessed up to doing the same with their own pupils.
The Fairfax schools have drawn criticism after a push for ‘equity’ that some parents claim seeks to create “equal outcomes for every student, without exception.”
🔥🧵 Your head will explode! Reporting an @IWN investigation published @CityJournal, I just learned, TWO YEARS LATER, my son is a National Merit Commended Student in the top 3% of students. His principal hides the honor from families as @fcpsnews chases "equal outcomes" for kids. pic.twitter.com/Cay2Ep98ry
— Asra Nomani (@AsraNomani) December 21, 2022
Since then, Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) directed Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyare to launch a civil rights investigation over the matter. Youngkin has reportedly suggested the school’s decision “may have violated the Virginia Human Rights Act.”
Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Michelle Reid claimed that Jefferson’s failure to issue students their awards on time was a “one-time human error,” according to a report from the Fairfax Times.
Announcements by principals in the district seem to paint a different picture.
As Just The News reported:
Langley High School Principal Kim Greer last Friday evening, sent out an email to parents informing them of their children’s receipt of the Commended Student recognitions from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. In that email, she admitted that the notification process had deviated from the school’s traditional method, saying “I must apologize that certificates were not distributed to these Langley High School students in the usual way this past fall.”
Westfield High School Principal Tony DiBari, meanwhile, told parents Sunday evening that “it has come to light that Westfield High School students designated as Commended Students this past fall were also not notified by the school.”
These two confessions during the weekend have prompted questions about Reid’s claims of the incident being a standalone issue, according to the outlet. The Times discussed the district’s agreement with Performance Fact Inc., a contractor that pushes for an “Equity Imperative” seeking to ensure “equal outcomes for every student, without exception.” Parents have argued the district wants to stifle performing students rather than help those requiring extra assistance in a “race to the bottom.”
The controversy has disproportionately affected Asian students, noted the Times. According to Miyares, his investigation will cover any discriminatory practices that may be discovered.
