An independent investigation into allegations that the Fairfax County Public Schools system in Virginia withheld National Merit Scholarship recognition from some high school students has found no evidence of intentional withholding or minimizing of students’ achievements. However, Virginia’s attorney general has launched an investigation into the district over reports that some schools withheld recognition. The investigation initially focused on the district’s Thomas Jefferson High School of Science and Technology in Alexandria on suspicion of unlawful discrimination but later expanded to the entire district. The district is also being investigated for its admission policies, which have significantly reduced the number of Asian American students in recent years. Of the 459 seniors at Thomas Jefferson High School, 393 were either commended or semifinalists. The school district had previously conducted its own independent investigation, which found delays were attributed to logistical factors varying from school to school.
Independent Investigation Finds Virginia School District Did Not Withhold National Merit Scholarship Recognition from Students
An independent investigation into allegations that the Fairfax County Public Schools system in Virginia withheld National Merit Scholarship recognition from some high school students has found that the school district did not intentionally refrain from notifying students in a timely manner, according to a statement by the system superintendent on Wednesday.
The district had asked a law firm to conduct the investigation after receiving allegations that some school staff had withheld notifications of the scholarship to avoid hurting the feelings of students who did not receive recognition. The investigation found that while eight of the 23 district high schools with students who received commendations in the competition had notified the students after the November 1 early admission deadline for some colleges, there was no evidence of intentional withholding or minimizing of students’ achievements. The investigation also found no evidence suggesting that the delays came from racial considerations or that any later-than-usual notification had impaired students’ academic, professional, or financial interests.
The district attributed the delays to logistical factors varying from school to school, and Superintendent Michelle Reid said the issue was a system concern that needed policies and procedures to prevent it from happening again.
The National Merit Scholarship program is an academic competition for recognition and college undergraduate scholarships, and the program’s website says students should have been notified in September if they received commendations. Of approximately 1.5 million entries, some 34,000 of the top 50,000 students nationwide receive commendations recognizing their accomplishments, but this means they did not reach the semifinalist level and are out of the competition for National Merit Scholarships. The program informs semifinalists of their accomplishment directly but relies on schools to relay commendations to commended students, according to the Fairfax County district.
Virginia’s Attorney General Continues Investigation into National Merit Scholarship Recognition Issue
Virginia’s attorney general has launched an investigation into Fairfax County Public Schools over reports that some schools withheld National Merit Scholarship recognition. The investigation initially focused on the district’s Thomas Jefferson High School of Science and Technology in Alexandria on suspicion of unlawful discrimination but later expanded to the entire district. The district is also being investigated for its admission policies, which have significantly reduced the number of Asian American students in recent years.
Of the 459 seniors at Thomas Jefferson High School, 393 were either commended or semifinalists. The school’s student population is nearly 66% Asian. The attorney general’s office will continue its investigation, according to Victoria LaCivita, a spokeswoman for the attorney general.
The school district had previously conducted its own independent investigation, which found no evidence of intentional withholding or minimizing of students’ achievements. However, the district did attribute delays to logistical factors varying from school to school. Superintendent Michelle Reid said that school staff members had drafted a new regulation to ensure students and parents get notified in a timely manner about the merit recognition.
Independent college counselors previously told CNN that such recognition would likely not tip an admissions decision from a top-tier college, but each school handles such awards differently. Despite this, the attorney general’s office is continuing its investigation into the district.
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