Thomas Jefferson High School's revamped admissions process continues to cause controversy
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (FOX 5 DC) - The revamped admissions process for a top local high school is in the hot seat yet again after new records show a school board member claiming the process had anti-Asian undertones.
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Fairfax County board member Abrad Omeish reportedly texted another board member Stella Pekarsky about Thomas Jefferson High School saying, "I mean there has been an anti-Asian feel underlying some of this, hate to say it lol."
Delegate Glenn Davis, the Education Committee Chair, says, "The big takeaway from all this is that we need to have an admissions policy that allows anyone acceptance."
Davis is introducing House Bill 127 aimed at revisiting Thomas Jefferson High School’s admissions process which was changed two years ago to give lower-income minority students a better chance at getting in.
Davis’ bill comes amid a shift in the state legislature, favoring Republicans.
The bill would bar the Commonwealth’s governor’s schools, including Thomas Jefferson, from considering race in admissions.
Davis says the schools should not consider race, sex or ethnicity during the application process.
Fairfax County Public Schools says they’re disappointed by Davis’ bill, defending Thomas Jefferson’s admissions process.
Some parents see plans to revert to the previous admissions process as a direct assault on the strides made to diversify Thomas Jefferson.
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Others see the bill as a move back in the right direction, admitting students solely based on academic data.