The nation's #1 public middle school was confirmed to discriminate against Asians in admissions

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJ), the nation's no. 1 public school, has long been suspected of discriminating against Asians in its enrollment practices. Recently, emails between members of the school's board of trustees came to light, further confirming this speculation.

On March 10, 2021, Pacific Law Foundation attorney Erin Wilcox spoke at a press conference outside federal court in Alexandria. (Image source: Associated Press)

Members of the Thomas Jefferson Tech School Grassroots Alliance — mostly those who are expected or have become parents of the school's Asian-American students — have long suspected that the school's admissions practices discriminate against Asians, the Hill reports. They had heard that school board members and school administrators complained that more than 70 percent of the school's students were made up of Asians and could not "represent" Northern Virginia. These people worry that the school's entrance exams do not catch the "talent" that the board is looking for, and ridicule the current school culture as "toxic."

Parents understand that the Board wants to achieve racial balance in the student body at Thomas Jefferson Tech Middle School. The Board believes that only by changing the admissions process, empowering district officials, and excluding Asian-American students can we build a student body that is more in line with their aspirations.

But parents had no evidence until last month, when text messages and emails between board members were made public in a federal lawsuit. Communications among board members showed that they realized that changing the admissions process involved discrimination against Asians and that the process of change was rushed.

Board member Stella Pekarsky said, "This will whiten our schools and deport Asians," the documents show. Does this achieve diversification goals? ”

And another member, Abrar Omeish, said: "I mean, there's an anti-Asian feeling in it. But I hate to say that, haha. While Ormis thought the whole thing was hilarious, the dreams of hundreds of Asian-American children could be shattered.

As can be seen from the document, board members are more concerned with dealing with public relations issues than with addressing substantive questions and objections raised by parents regarding the discriminatory impact of the new admissions policy on Asian-American students.

Currently, the Thomas Jefferson Tech Middle School Coalition, represented by the Pacific Legal Foundation, is fighting in federal court to hold the Fairfax County School Board accountable for the situation. (End)