A Virginia school district is again under fire for its “equality” programs — this time for offering college prep classes only to black and Hispanic students.
Fairfax County public schools have been under investigation by the attorney general since earlier this year for withholding merit awards from students at Thomas Jefferson High School.
TJs, as locals call it, is the top-performing public school in the United States, and bright teachers there claimed they withheld the awards to promote “justice.”
And now another school in the district — Cooper Middle School in McLean, Virginia — sent a letter to parents that critics say 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, classes were only available to black or Hispanic students, as well as those with disabilities, language barriers, economic disadvantage, or those who were the first in their families to apply.
Lisa Barrow is the principal at Cooper Middle School, which has come under fire for a new program that offers college-preparation to students — other than white or Asian
Journalist Asra Nomani, who received the letter, tweeted: “In the 20th century, the Asian Exclusion Act denied Asians equal opportunities.
“Now @FCPSNews is sponsoring a college prep program with race-based admissions, excluding Asians + Whites.
Asra Nomani revealed the letter to parents first
“A judge has already ruled that FCPS violated the US Constitution over new anti-Asian footage.”
Nomani noted that the benefits of the program were significant: Participants received academic guidance, access to colleges to experience their teaching, and advice on “complete college and scholarship applications.”
One father, Glenn Miller, an attorney, told the Fairfax Times the scheme was problematic.
“This program excludes children based on their race and appears to directly violate the school district’s antidiscrimination policy,” he said.
Cooper Middle School, pictured, sparked accusations of racism after offering a college prep program that excluded white and Asian American students
There are 17,760 black students in Fairfax County Public Schools, which is 10 percent of the total student body.
Hispanic students make up 28 percent at 51,048 people.
The school district’s antidiscrimination policy states, “No applicant or employee based on race, sex, color, age, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, genetic information, pregnancy status, birth or related medical conditions, marital status, veteran status, and disability shall be the Being denied benefits of educational programs or activities or discriminated against in educational programs or activities as required by law.’
The school declined to comment. Thomas Jefferson was forced into a humiliating apology for withholding merit awards that angry parents said could be used to boost their children’s college applications.
Virginia’s GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin was sufficiently outraged by the incident to open a formal investigation by prosecutors.
Criminal charges against the school could follow.
Youngkin clinched a surprise victory in the liberal-leaning state in 2021, largely due to his opposition to the wake-up policy as exhibited in Fairfax County schools.
It is widely believed that Democratic rival Terry McAuliffe destroyed his campaign after telling parents they had no place to meddle in what was going on in the schools.
Another school board in Virginia, Loudon County, sparked national outrage with its transgender bathroom policy after a boy in a skirt molested two girls in bathrooms at two different high schools.
“Equality” is the current buzzword and means aiming for equal outcomes for all students, rather than just giving them equal opportunities.
Proponents say it takes into account the disadvantages of some children, a disproportionate number of whom are black and Hispanic.
Critics say that achieving justice rarely uplifts these children, instead seeking to lower standards overall to give the artificial appearance of improved outcomes.