Following several lawsuits, including one joined by Virginia Attorney General Miyares and 15 other states in opposition to Thomas Jefferson High’s race-based high school admissions policies, the U.S. Supreme court has declined to block the school’s use of the policy.
Miyares and the coalition’s issue with the policy were it disproportionally affected Asian-American students. According to the Washington Examiner, the Parents of the group argued in its lawsuit that Asian Americans make up 70% of the student body at TJ, claiming they were unfairly targeted by the system. The school’s most recent freshman class was admitted under the new system and saw a stark demographic change from previous school years. The black student population rose from 1% to 7%, while Hispanic representation went from 3% to 11%. Asian American representation declined from 73% to 54%.
The coalition described the school’s policy as a “discriminatory” and “illegal” admissions process designed to dramatically reduce the number of Asian American students who attend Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJ) in Fairfax, Va. and Miyares released the following statement in their attempt to have the policy blocked: (RELATED: Miyares Leads 15 Other States in Fighting Against Thomas Jefferson High’s Admissions Policy)
“RIGHT NOW, THERE ARE INNOCENT VIRGINIANS UNFAIRLY TREATED AND PUNISHED NOT FOR ANYTHING THEY’VE DONE, BUT BECAUSE OF WHO THEY ARE. THOMAS JEFFERSON HIGH SCHOOL’S NEW ADMISSIONS PROCESS IS STATE-SANCTIONED BIGOTRY — IT’S WRONG, AND IT’S THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF EQUALITY. AS ATTORNEY GENERAL, I’LL NEVER STOP FIGHTING FOR THE EQUAL TREATMENT AND PROTECTION OF ALL VIRGINIANS,” MIYARES SAID IN A NEWS RELEASE.”
No reason was given for the supreme court’s rejection of the coalition’s request, however, they are set to hear a similar case related to race-based admissions policies at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina, which are accused of using similar race-based admissions policies that petitioners argue have disproportionately harmed Asian American applicants.