Virginia Gov. Younkin Slams 'Deliberate Attempt to Disadvantage High-Performing Students'

(CNSNews.com) – Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin has asked the commonwealth’s attorney general to launch a human rights investigation into Thomas Jefferson High School, which serves the brightest students in Fairfax County, Virginia. 

The Northern Virginia high school reportedly delayed the release of test scores, preventing scholarship opportunities for more than a thousand students, the governor’s office said.

“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,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin. 

“Parents and students deserve answers, and Attorney General Miyares will initiate a full investigation. I believe this failure may have caused material harm to those students and their parents, and that this failure may have violated the Virginia Human Rights Act.”

In a Tuesday night interview with Fox News’s Tucker Carlson, Youngkin said, “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…

“…And now we see in Fairfax County violations of civil liberties, where we have students who had achieved a real accolade to be a National Merit Scholar, and they weren’t told because they didn’t want to make the other students feel bad.”

Youngkin said the delay in releasing the test scores, for the sake of equity, is “not consistent with Virginia values and American values.”

Youngkin noted that Thomas Jefferson High School is one of the best schools in the country and “is constantly ranked number one for science and technology. It’s a meritocracy,” he said.

“We had to pass a law last year to redirect the admissions of the Thomas Jefferson school to be based on a meritocracy as opposed to an aspiration for equal outcomes and admissions. 

“But this is the challenge that we have. This is why Virginia is at the forefront of making sure that parents’ rights will be protected. And this idea of hard work and achievement will be valued in all our schools, but particularly in schools like Thomas Jefferson.”

According to the school’s demographic data, 66 percent of students in school year 2021-2022 were Asian; 3.29 percent were black; 5.41 were Hispanic or Latino; 19.62 were white; and 5.09 percent fell in the “other” category.

The Fairfax County School Superintendent released a statement saying that it has “initiated an investigation into the circumstances around how this situation could occur.”

“Our current understanding is that the delay at Thomas Jefferson High School this fall was a unique situation due to human error, but we will continue to examine our records in further detail.

“We are committed to sharing any key findings and any updates to our processes to ensure future consistency in appropriate and timely notification of National Merit Scholarship Corporation recognitions going forward.

“FCPS understands the hard work and dedication of each and every student who competes for college acceptance and scholarship opportunities. We remain committed to supporting every student in reaching their full potential.”

From CNSNews - READ ORIGINAL

Some media, including videos, may only be available to view at the original.