Attorney General Miyares Launches Civil Rights Investigation into Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology

RICHMOND, VA – Attorney General Jason Miyares today announced that his Office of Civil Rights will be investigating Fairfax County Public Schools and the administration of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (“TJHSST”) for unlawful discrimination in violation of the Virginia Human Rights Act (“VHRA”).

The investigation will examine if the administration’s decision to withhold National Merit Scholarship honors from students and the school’s new admissions policies violate the VHRA.

“No student should be treated differently because of their race. Students at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology are amongst the brightest in the nation, yet some have been punished in the name of ‘equity.’ Racism and race-based government decision making in any form is wrong and unlawful under Virginia’s Human Rights Act,” said Attorney General Miyares. “The controversial admissions policies at TJHSST, which have significantly decreased the amount of Asian American students enrolled in recent years, is another example of students being treated differently because of their ethnicity. My Office of Civil Rights will investigate any potential violations of the law and vindicate the civil rights of these students and their families.”

Read the letter here.

###