WASHINGTON (AP) — The Education Department said Thursday it is launching a civil rights investigation into Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia.
The change in admissions policy introduced five years ago at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology has led to more black and Hispanic students enrolling and facing court challenges from some parents. The plaintiffs allegedly have sacrificed Asian American students, whose school numbers have decreased.
The investigation comes one day after Virginia Attorney General’s Republican Jason Miyares Bureau concluded its own investigation and found school policies discriminate against Asian American students. His office introduced the case to federal authorities.
“The Department of Education is grateful for Governor (Glenn) Youngkin and Attorney General Miyaress’ hardworking work for documenting patterns regarding practices at TJ. We will further investigate this complaint and ensure that all students are being evaluated fairly in accordance with their achievements and achievements.”
Last year, the US Supreme Court refused to hear the case challenging Thomas Jefferson’s admissions policy and left in place Court of Appeal An arbitration that ensures that the policy is established.
The school district said it will review documents released by the state attorney general.
“This issue has already been fully sued,” Fairfax County Public Schools said in a statement. “The federal Court of Appeals has determined that the Thomas Jefferson High School’s admissions policy for science and technology discriminates against groups of students is without merit.”
In 2020, the district revised Thomas Jefferson admissions policy by removing $100 application fees and admission tests and adopting a “holistic review” process.
The first classes allowed under the new policy increased low-income students, English learners and girls. Approximately 54% of the accepted classes were Asian Americans. This is down from the previous year’s percentage in the 65% to 75% range. The proportion of underrepresented Black and Hispanic students in schools also increased.
Student achievements, problem-solving essays, skills “portrait sheets”, special education status, eligibility for free or low-cost meals, whether they were English learners, and whether they attended historically underrated public schools were part of the review. Admission raters were unable to access the student’s name, race, or other demographic information.
The district court initially found it to be advantageous to a group of parents who challenged the policy, but the appeals court later overturned the decision.
The Court of Appeal noted that while the proportion of Asian American students had declined under the new policy compared to previous classes, Asian American students outperformed the applicant pool share.
The case was seen as the next step in challenging admissions practices after the Supreme Court deprived of positive actions and explicit considerations of race in its 2023 ruling against Harvard and the University of North Carolina. However, in 2024, the Supreme Court I declined To take up the case.
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