OAN Roy Francis
UPDATED 2:24 PM PT – Wednesday, December 28, 2022
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia is under fire from parents for allegedly not notifying them of academic honors due to ‘equity.’
Fairfax County parents are outraged after learning they were not formally notified that their children received the national merit recognition. Students who take the PSAT and rank top 3% in the nation get the recognition. The recognition opens up doors to scholarships and and boosts college acceptance chances.
Parents who found out their children missed out on the national merit recognition feel that their children were robbed. Both students and parents were emotionally and financially impacted as a result from the admnistrations decision.
“This year the entire controversy just blew up because the kids got their certificate,” Fairfax County parent Asra Nomani said. “Weeks after early college application deadlines, just dropped on their desks as if it was just another piece of paper.”
Nomani highlighted the fact that she is not the only parent that spoke out about the controversy. Other parents had issues with how the school and school district have been behaving.
“And this amazing mom named Shawna Yashar started asking questions, just like every parent’s got to do,” she continued. “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.”
Other changes the school has implemented is that they are now giving students 50% credit for just showing up to class without doing work. In addition, students will not receive any zeros on assignments. These changes being made are to advocate “equal outcomes for every student, without exception.”
These issues however, are not exclusive to Virginia schools Nomani noted, the “war on merit” is an issue within the education system nationwide.