Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technolgy’s admissions policy is back in the news. Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares says an investigation has found the policy violates federal civil rights laws. Miyares made the announcement on May 21 at the Korean Community Center in Annandale.
Prior Legal Challenges
Thomas Jefferson’s admissions policy was overhauled in 2020. The changes sought to increase the admission of students from underrepresented backgrounds, particularly Black and Hispanic students.
Parents argued that the revised policy discriminates against Asian Americans. A federal appeals court upheld the constitutionality of the policy in 2023. Last year, the Supreme Court opted to leave it in place.
After the Supreme Court’s ruling last year, Karl Frisch, Fairfax County School Board chair and Providence District representative said, “We have long believed that the new admissions process is both constitutional and in the best interest of all of our students. It guarantees that all qualified students from all neighborhoods in Fairfax County have a fair shot at attending this exceptional high school.”
Current Actions
Miyares alleges that by changing Thomas Jefferson’s admissions policy, Fairfax County Public Schools violated the Virginia Human Rights Act and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
“Thomas Jefferson High School was already, at that time, a minority majority high school, but they determined it was the wrong minorities,” Miyares said. “Their intentions — it was not an accident. Let me repeat that public officials entrusted with educating our children knowingly and deliberately used race as a factor in a public school’s admissions process. That, ladies and gentlemen, is a clear violation of civil rights laws, both at the federal and state level.”
Miyares says the case has been referred to the U.S. Department of Education and the Department of Justice for federal enforcement.
Feature image courtesy Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
