A troubling trend in today’s education system involves administrators attempting to suppress high-achieving students in order to foster equal results from everyone regardless of hard work or aptitude.
In one Virginia school district, speculation has swirled that such a desire was behind the decision to withhold academic achievement notifications that would have helped certain students receive scholarships or college admission.
“The entire controversy just blew up because the kids got their certificate weeks after early application deadlines, just dropped on their desks as if it was just another piece of paper,” reported local advocate Asra Nomani last month.
Now, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin is getting involved in the controversy by tasking Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares with investigating the situation at Thomas Jefferson High School in Fairfax County.
Parents outraged at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology withholding merit awards in name of equity.
Lt. Gov. @WinsomeSears said, “This is a new year, but man I tell you sometimes it feels like it’s the same hell.”
FULL REPORT HERE➖https://t.co/Ms2DqJiCHt pic.twitter.com/9oJfjTj3r9
— Sierra Fox (@thesierrafox) January 4, 2023
In a statement earlier this month, Youngkin affirmed: “We need to get to the bottom of what appears to be an egregious, deliberate attempt to disadvantage high-performing students at one of the best schools in the country.”
He went on to declare that everyone involved “deserves answers” following reports of behavior that “may have caused material harm to those students and their parents” and could constitute a violation of the state’s Human Rights Act.
Youngkin, who rose to power largely on his stance in favor of parental rights in education, touted his state’s commitment to the issue when he discussed the investigation during a recent Fox News Channel interview.
“Virginia still continues to be absolutely at ground zero when it comes to standing up for parents’ rights with their children, for recognizing that kids need their parents in their lives, and for standing up for excellence,” he said.
Unfortunately, Youngkin determined that Thomas Jefferson High School’s failure to notify students of their achievement is “not consistent with Virginia values and American values.”
The school’s demographics show that roughly two-thirds of the students enrolled during the 2021-22 school year were Asian, leading to concerns about an anti-Asian bias in the educational system.
For her part, Fairfax County School Superintendent Michelle Reid indicated that a preliminary investigation suggests the delay “was a unique situation due to human error” but promised that the district “will continue to examine our records in further detail.”
