Trump admin opens civil rights probe in Virginia school district over alleged Asian American bias

The Department of Education on Thursday opened a civil rights investigation into a Virginia school district over allegations that the admission policies at one of its schools racially discriminated against Asian-American students. 

The investigation will focus on allegations that the Fairfax County Public Schools discriminated against applicants by excluding students from admission to its Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology based on race.

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares previously found the district guilty of violating the Virginia Human Rights Act and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, by intentionally discriminating against the applicants, and referred the matter to Education Secretary Linda McMahon.

“Thomas Jefferson High School in Fairfax County has long had a reputation for producing some of our nation’s brightest minds, due in no small part to its rigorous admissions process," McMahon said in a statement. "The Fairfax County School Board’s alleged decision to weigh race in TJ’s admissions decisions appears to be both contrary to the law and to the fundamental principle that students should be evaluated on their merit, not the color of their skin."

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, praised McMahon's decision to open the probe, stating the district's decision had "dashed" the dreams of many students by including race rather than merit in its admission process.

The announcement comes the day after Virginia finished its two-year investigation into the admission policies.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.