The New York Times, August 21, 2023, Supreme Court Is Asked to Hear a New Admissions Case on Race
The Thomas Jefferson case arose in late 2020, after protests over the murder of George Floyd. Officials in Fairfax County, Va., concerned about the few Black and Hispanic students at Thomas Jefferson, changed admissions standards. In addition to eliminating a rigorous entry exam, the school decided to offer admission to the top students from each middle school in its area rather than the top applicants from any school.
Admissions officers were also instructed to consider “experience factors,” such as whether students were poor, learning English or attending a middle school that was “historically underrepresented.” But the officers were not told the race, sex or name of any applicant.
A group of parents, many of them Asian American, objected to the plan and started the Coalition for T.J.
The parents, arguing that the plan was not truly race-neutral, said that gifted Asian American students were clustered in a few middle schools, and that limiting the number of students from each school shut out worthy Asian American applicants.