At Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, which is the nation's top high school according to U.S. News, two administrators have been hiding notifications of National Merit awards for years.
The move is part of the Fairfax County's school district's move to completely "equitable" outcomes for all their students.
For reference, Fairfax County is next door to the infamous woke Loudoun County.
Completely equitable outcomes includes the elimination of Ds and Fs, not penalizing uncompleted assignments, giving students 50% credit just for showing up, etc.
It's a race to the bottom.
The school still has advanced studies that attract top performers, like Shawna Yashar's son, who studied statistical analysis, literature reviews, and college-level science late into the night. When he took the PSAT, he scored in the top 3 percent and earned a National Merit honor. However, Yashar never knew he had received the honor and was unable to include it on his application for scholarships and early enrollment for universities.
Why did the school withhold the news?
The director of student services at Thomas Jefferson said,
"We want to recognize students for who they are as individuals, not focus on their achievements," claiming that he and the principal didn't want to "hurt" the feelings of students who didn't get the award.
Local parents' advocate Debra Tisler says that keeping the news from the children is likely a civil rights violation. Many of the students are racial minorities, some have disabilities, and most come from immigrant families whose parents speak English as second language.
It's just cruel," says Tisler.
This is what communism and a war against meritocracy looks like.
