ReportWire

Tag: thomas jefferson high school

  • Education Department eyes prestigious Fairfax County school over bathroom gender policy – WTOP News

    [ad_1]

    A prestigious Fairfax County high school stands to lose millions of dollars in funding as the Education Department follows through on a threat to withhold funding to the Virginia school system over its gender policy regarding the use of restrooms and locker rooms.

    A prestigious Fairfax County high school stands to lose millions of dollars in funding as the Education Department says it will follow through on a threat to withhold funding to the Virginia school system over its gender policy regarding the use of restrooms and locker rooms.

    The department confirmed to WTOP it’s denying the certification of magnet school grant applications to Fairfax County Public Schools. The denial would result in a cut of about $3.4 million to Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.

    The Department of Education has given Fairfax County schools until 5 p.m. Friday to comply.

    This comes on the heels of Education Secretary Linda McMahon’s social media post saying the department “will not certify that magnet schools in New York City, Chicago & Fairfax Public Schools are following the law when they are clearly not.”

    This latest move comes after the Department of Education claimed earlier this year that Fairfax County, Loudoun County, Prince William County, Arlington and Alexandria City public schools are violating Title IX with their policies that let students use bathrooms based on their gender identity rather than their biological sex.

    The school systems have maintained that they are in compliance with state and federal laws, and that the Education Department is misinterpreting Title IX. Fairfax County said it stands to lose $167 million in federal funding over the dispute.

    “The notification from the Department of Education regarding the withholding of grant funding is the latest in a series of efforts to defund and diminish the tradition of excellence of public education in Fairfax County Public Schools and in other school divisions around the country,” the school system said in a statement to WTOP.

    FCPS also revealed in its response that it and many other school districts have lost federal funding for what it calls “a critical five year youth school board based mental health program” called SBMH.

    “FCPS maintains that the DOE’s decision to label the division as ‘high-risk’ and threaten funding is not supported by any identifiable factors or evidence.”

    Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

    © 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

    [ad_2]

    Kyle Cooper

    Source link

  • The Supreme Court leaves in place the admissions plan at an elite Virginia public high school – WTOP News

    The Supreme Court leaves in place the admissions plan at an elite Virginia public high school – WTOP News

    [ad_1]

    The high court’s consideration of the case followed its decision in June that struck down admissions policies at colleges and universities that took account of the race of applicants.

    Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (Courtesy Antonio Martin).

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday left in place the admissions policy at an elite public high school in Virginia, despite claims that it discriminates against highly qualified Asian Americans.

    A panel of the federal appeals court in Richmond upheld the constitutionality of a revamped admissions policy at the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, frequently cited among the best in the nation.

    Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented from the order rejecting an appeal from parents. The appeals court essentially ruled that “intentional racial discrimination is constitutional so longas it is not too severe,” Alito wrote.

    The high court’s consideration of the case followed its decision in June that struck down admissions policies at colleges and universities that took account of the race of applicants.

    The Fairfax County School Board overhauled the admissions process in 2020, scrapping a standardized test. The new policy gives weight in favor of applicants who are economically disadvantaged or still learning English, but it does not take race into account.

    The effect in the first freshmen class admitted under it was to increase the percentage of Black students from 1% to 7% and Hispanic students from 3% to 11%. Both groups have been greatly underrepresented for decades. Asian American representation decreased from 73% to 54%.

    In 2022, a federal judge found the school board engaged in impermissible “racial balancing” when it overhauled admissions.

    The parents who challenged the policy say it discriminates against Asian American applicants who would have been granted admission if academic merit were the sole criteria, and that efforts to increase Black and Hispanic representation necessarily come at the expense of Asian Americans.

    Copyright
    © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.

    [ad_2]

    wtopstaff

    Source link