Virginia AG orders Cooper Middle School to stop racially discriminating against students
VA AG orders middle school to stop discriminating against students
Virginia's attorney general slammed a local school district Thursday, demanding they "stop racially" discriminating against students. FOX 5's Nana-Sentuo Bonsu reports from Fairfax with more on the lawsuit the AG plans to file if the school district doesn't act immediately.
RICHMOND, Va. - Attorney General Jason Miyares has a message for the administrators at a Fairfax County middle school: Stop discriminating against students immediately or else face legal consequences.
Miyares sent a letter Thursday demanding Cooper Middle School stop unlawfully notifying students about a selective college preparatory program.
According to the Office of the Attorney General, last week, Cooper Middle School sent an email to all parents offering the county's College Partnership Program but mentioned it was only for students of certain ethnic groups.
RICHMOND, VA - JANUARY 19: The newly sworn-in Attorney General of Virginia, Jason Miyares works from his office January 19, 2022 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Julia Rendleman for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
The email is directed at parents of eighth graders who want to go to college and are either Black or African American, Hispanic, still learning English, or potentially the first in their family to attend college in the U.S. The school also requested "economically disadvantaged students" apply for the opportunity.
But under Virginia's Human Rights Act, that is against the law.
"It's shocking that we continue to find such blatant examples of racial and ethnic discrimination in the Fairfax County Public School System," Miyares' letter reads. "Every student should be able to apply for the College Partnership Program and have the same opportunities as their peers, regardless of race."
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Fairfax County Public Schools sent FOX 5 a statement, calling Miyares' claims "wholly inaccurate." The district says the AG's office didn't reach out to them to check on the authenticity of the reports.
During the 2022-23 school year, FCPS says 17.4% of Asian students, 8.7% of white students out of a total of 2,018 students were enrolled in the program, which is designed to encourage historically underrepresented groups to consider a path to college.
"Publishing false narratives like this undermines public school efforts to boost U.S. educational achievement," the district said.
Miyares currently has two open investigations related to Fairfax County Public Schools. The first is alleged discrimination against Asian students applying for admission into the county’s prestigious STEM school, Thomas Jefferson High School.
The second investigation has the AG looking into the failure of multiple schools in Fairfax County, including Thomas Jefferson, to timely notify students of their National Merit Award Recognitions.
Read AG Miyares' letter and the response from FCPS below:
FCPS statement:
"As stated previously, media coverage referencing a ban on certain demographic groups applying to the College Partnership Program is wholly inaccurate. In fact, in School Year 2022-23, 352 Asian students (17.4%) and 176 white students (8.7%) out of a total of 2,018 students were enrolled in the program which is designed to encourage historically underrepresented groups to consider a path to college.
We are disappointed that no one from the Office of the Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Virginia contacted Fairfax County Public Schools to check on the authenticity of these reports. Instead, false and damaging public accusations against Cooper Middle School have been made.
Publishing false narratives like this undermine public school efforts to boost U.S. educational achievement."
FOX 5 obtained a copy of the email sent to Cooper Middle School parents below: