One of the highest-ranked schools in the commonwealth of Virginia is facing backlash from parents of students after the school chose to delay announcing the results of certain academic awards, in order to maintain “equity.”
According to Fox News, one parent came forward to explain how the delay in announcing the results of the awards negatively impacted many students’ college applications. Asra Nomani, in an interview with “Fox & Friends First” on Wednesday, said that “this year the entire controversy just blew up because the kids got their certificate, weeks after early college application deadlines, just dropped on their desks as if it was just another piece of paper.”
The decision was made by the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJ), located in Alexandria, Virginia, to delay the results of such awards by up to several years, according to Nomani, for the purpose of advocating for “equal outcomes for every student, without exception.”
“And this amazing mom named Shawna Yashar started asking questions, just like every parent’s got to do,” Nomani added. “From issues of the drag queen story hours to indoctrination in the schools, this is another form of this race to the bottom that the schools are going through right now.”
The school has so drastically altered its grading system in the name of diversity that teachers are now no longer allowed to give grades of 0 percent on anything, and students are automatically guaranteed 50 percent to their overall grade just for attending class.
As a result of the school’s decision to delay this year’s awards, which were initially given the awards in October of 2022 by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, students were not notified until a month later, after the early-application deadlines for most colleges had already passed. Nomani says that her son was honored with a Commended Student award in September 2020 but was never notified of the award, even after he graduated in 2021.
In a statement responding to the controversy, Fairfax County Public Schools claimed that the district “understands the hard work and dedication of each and every student who competes for college acceptance and scholarship opportunities.”
“Once the issue regarding the fall 2022 notifications was realized, counselors sent emails and made follow-up calls to each college where these students had applied and informed them of the National Merit Scholarship Commendations,” the statement continued. “We are continuing to look into this matter and will take any necessary steps to ensure consistency in appropriate and timely notification of National Merit recognitions going forward.”