Judge: New admissions policies at Thomas Jefferson High School discriminate

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Home » Fairfax County, VA News » Judge: New admissions policies…

Judge: New admissions policies at elite school discriminate

The Associated Press

February 25, 2022, 5:18 PM

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — A federal judge ruled Friday that a Virginia school system illegally discriminated against Asian Americans when it overhauled the admissions policies at an elite public school. ... The ruling from U.S. District Judge Claude Hilton found that impermissible “racial balancing” was at the core of the plan to overhaul admissions to Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, known as “TJ.” The school routinely ranks as the best or one of the best public schools in the country, and slots at the school are highly competitive.

In 2020, the Fairfax County School Board significantly revamped the admissions process at the school. A standardized test that had been a linchpin of the admissions process was scrapped in favor of a system that set aside equal numbers of TJ slots at each of the county’s middle schools, among other changes. ... Hilton, in his ruling, wrote, “The discussion of admissions changes was infected with talk of racial balancing from its inception.”

Although the school has enjoyed a stellar academic reputation for decades, Black and Hispanic students were woefully underrepresented in the student body. ... TJ’s current freshman class, the first to be accepted under the new policies, reflected a significant change in racial makeup. Asian representation decreased from 73% to 54%. The percentage of Black students increased from 1% last year to 7%. Hispanic representation increased from 3% to 11%.

{snip}

The Coalition for TJ, the group of parents who challenged the admissions process in court with help from the conservative Pacific Legal Foundation, said in a statement that it “is thrilled by Judge Claude Hilton’s clear renunciation of racism and discrimination and his powerful defense of equality.” ... Hilton’s ruling comes roughly a month after the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a similar case filed by Asian American families against Harvard University over its admissions policies.

___

An earlier version of this story said the school system will appeal. No final decision on an appeal has been made.

Copyright © 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.