Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology admissions policy OK'd pending appeal
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Disputed school admissions policy OKd pending appeal
The Associated Press
March 31, 2022, 6:49 PM
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) A federal appeals court has granted a request from a northern Virginia school system to continue using a challenged admissions policy at a highly selective high school while it appeals a ruling that found the policy discriminates against Asian American students.... A three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said in a ruling Thursday that Fairfax County Public Schools can continue to use its new admissions policy at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.
U.S. District Judge Claude Hilton rejected the new policy in a February ruling, saying that impermissible racial balancing was at its core. Commonly known as TJ, the prestigious school near the nations capital is often ranked as one of the best public high schools in the country. ... Earlier this month, Hilton also rejected a request from the school system to delay the implementation of his ruling. But the 4th Circuit, in a 3-2 ruling, said the school board had met the legal requirements for a suspension of Hiltons order while its appeal is pending.
The 4th Circuit panel agreed with school officials who argued that because the selection process for the incoming freshman class is well underway, implementing Hiltons ruling now would throw the process into chaos. ... Judge Toby Heytens wrote that he has grave doubts about Hiltons conclusions regarding both disparate impact and discriminatory purpose of the new admissions policy. ... In my view, appellant Fairfax County School Board is likely to succeed in its appeal, Heytens wrote.
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The case has been closely watched as courts continue to evaluate the role that racial considerations can play when deciding who should be admitted to a particular school. Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a similar case alleging that Harvard University discriminates against Asian Americans in its admissions process.
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