Parents demand principal of US’ top public school be fired after she withheld prestigious awards
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Parents of students at one of the highest-ranked high schools in the country are demanding that its principal be fired after she and other officials delayed informing students that they had qualified for a national award.
The decision by the higher-ups at Thomas Jefferson High School of Science and Technology in Fairfax, Virginia, was reportedly part of a new school strategy aimed at providing “equal results for all students, no exceptions.”
That’s another way of describing the current buzzword ‘equity’, which prioritizes equality of outcome, rather than equality of opportunity.
As a result of the deception, students who had been named ‘recommended students’ by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation were deliberately left in the dark so as not to ‘hurt the feelings of’ other students.
Only learning of the distinction a few months ago in the fall, the student body and their families are furious, and they were seen outside the school Friday voicing their discontent.
In particular, the parents called for the firing of Principal Ann Bonitatibus and Director of Student Services Brandon Kosatka, claiming they are responsible. A mother seen in the procession, along with dozens of others, demanded immediate action against the couple.
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Parents of students at one of the nation’s top-ranked high schools are demanding that its principal be fired after she and other officials delayed telling students they had qualified for an award that helps them compete for scholarships, programs honors and college admissions.
Shawna Yashar, one of the mothers involved in the effort to uncover these allegations against the Fairfax County Public School system, was one of several mothers who gathered at the school Friday to demand “action” against the director and other responsible officials.
“Let it be known that we’re not for fake reunions, we’re for real action,” Shawna Yashar told Fox 5 DC, visibly angered by the school’s decision to keep the awards secret.
Yashar, one of the parents involved in the effort to uncover these allegations against the Fairfax County Public School system, said Kosatka admitted to her that the low-key approach to informing students of their academic honors was intentional.
Yashar said the principal acknowledged the allegations when she told him over the phone, which encouraged the high school staff member to tell her the truth behind the school’s decision.
She said the confrontation happened in mid-November, after his son received a letter of praise, two months after the awards are normally given out in September.
The decision by the higher-ups at Thomas Jefferson High School of Science and Technology in Fairfax, Virginia, was reportedly part of a new school strategy aimed at providing “equal results for all students, no exceptions.”
Yashar’s said her son and other students received the letters on November 14, encouraging her to get in touch. Bonitatibus directly on the delay. However, the director was apparently unavailable, with Kosatka conducting the investigation.
When asked, Kosatka, according to Yashar, explained the school’s side: that the staff wanted to deliver the letters “discreetly” to avoid hurting the feelings of the students who didn’t get the distinction.
“There aren’t many kids who haven’t received any of the awards, and we didn’t want them to feel bad about it,” Yashar told Kosatka.
Meanwhile, Fairfax County School System officials were unable to verify the conversation took place. DailyMail.com contacted Bonitatibus and Kosatka on Saturday for comment.
Only learning of the distinction a few months ago in the fall, the student body and their families are furious, and they were seen outside the school Friday voicing their discontent.
Only awarded to 50,000 of the 1.5 million high school students who scored well on the PSATS, a precursor to the SAT usually administered in 10th grade, the prestigious award helps students compete for scholarships, awards and college admissions.
That said, it’s not the first time that officials at the Fairfax County Public Schools network, which encompasses 198 schools and centers, have come under fire for guidelines touted as progressive.
In 2021, the school and its board found themselves in federal court after it changed its admissions requirements to limit the number of Asian-American students enrolled to improve the admissions chances of other students, regardless of their academic level.
Billed as a means to boost equity, the guideline immediately sparked controversy for eliminating merit-based admissions, and was later found to be in violation of federal law.
In February, a federal judge ruled that Fairfax County school officials were guilty of racial profiling. The stipulation has since been rejected.