Will they EVER learn? The school that is part of the notoriously rousing Virginia district bars white and Asian students from the college prep program, despite the sister school facing AG investigation for withholding merit awards to boost ‘equity’
A Virginia school district is under fire once again for its ‘equity’ programs, this time for offering college prep classes only for black and Hispanic students.
Fairfax County Public Schools has been under investigation since the beginning of this year by the state Attorney General for alleged discrimination against Asian students applying to the county’s prestigious STEM school, Thomas Jefferson High School.
Last month, another school in the district, Cooper Middle School in McLean, Virginia, sent a letter to parents that critics said was also discriminatory.
On February 21, parents of eighth graders were asked if their children were considering college and could benefit from college prep classes.
However, the lessons were only available to black or Hispanic students, as well as those with disabilities, language barriers, economic disadvantages, or those who were the first in their family to apply.
Journalist Asra Nomani, who obtained the letter, tweeted: “In the 20th century, the Asian Exclusion Act denied Asians equal opportunity.
‘Now @FCPSNews promotes a college prep program with admissions based on race, excluding Asian + White.
Asra Nomani first revealed the letter to parents
‘A judge has already ruled that FCPS violated the US Constitution in new anti-Asian admissions.’
Nomani noted that the benefits of the program were substantial: attendees received academic advising, access to universities to experience their teaching, and advice on “complete applications for universities and scholarships.”
One parent, Glenn Miller, an attorney, said Fairfax Times the scheme was problematic.
“This program excludes children based on race and appears to be in direct violation of the school district’s own anti-discrimination policy,” he said.
There are 17,760 black students in Fairfax County Public Schools, representing 10 percent of the total student body.
Hispanic students make up 28 percent, with 51,048 people.
The school district’s non-discrimination policy states: ‘No applicant or employee on the basis of race, sex, color, age, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, genetic information, status of pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions , marital status, veteran status, and disability will be denied the benefits of, or discriminated against under, any educational program or activity, as required by law.’
The school has declined to comment.