The Supreme Court on Monday declined to block the new admissions policy for Virginia’s premier Thomas Jefferson High School over allegations its standards discriminate against Asian Americans.
Conservative Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil M. Gorsuch and Samuel A. Alito Jr. would have granted the request to halt the admissions policy.
The challenge was brought by the Coalition for TJ, a group of students and parents from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, challenging the Fairfax County School Board’s new admissions policy for one of the top STEM high schools in the country.
They said the new policy was unconstitutional because it disenfranchised Asian American students, who in recent years have made up about 70% of the school’s student body.
The former admissions policy was based on an applicant’s grade point average, teacher recommendations, essays and a standardized test.
But in 2020 after the death of George Floyd, a Black man killed by a White police officer in Minneapolis, the board decided to change admissions standards to make the process more inclusive.
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Some of the changes included eliminating the standardized test and reserving seats for students from underrepresented schools.
But the Coalition for TJ says the new policy disenfranchised Asian American students. The group cited the class of 2025 — the first one admitted under the new standards — noting there was a 19% drop in Asian American student admissions, according to court documents.
The district court had sided with the challengers and stopped the board from using its new guidelines, saying they disenfranchised Asian Americans. But the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals blocked the lower court’s injunction, siding with the board.
The school board had argued to the justices that their admissions policy is “race-neutral” and the 4th Circuit decision to lift the injunction was adequate.
• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.
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