Virginia's attorney general is expanding his investigation into Fairfax County Public Schools’ failure to notify students they had earned an academic award, saying the district might have violated the Virginia Human Rights Act.
News4 previously reported the district failed to promptly notify families of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology students that they earned an academic award.
Families are learning it also involves students at Westfield and Langley high schools.
Students who earn the Commended Student Award from the National Merit Scholarship Program typically learn about it in the fall. In late December, students at Thomas Jefferson who earned that award learned the principal never notified them.
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A small group of parents held a protest at the school last week.
"The school principal and other administrators and staff do not have the right to hide that achievement from them," a parent said.
Following the protest, Fairfax County Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid held a public meeting with parents in which she called the delay "a unique situation due to human error."
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The Commended Student Award is part of the National Merit Scholarship contest that gives different rankings based on a students’ PSAT score. Commended students are in the fourth-highest ranking and do not move on in the contest but are eligible to apply for some special scholarships. Most are for the children of sponsoring companies, and the students also qualify for full tuition at Liberty University.
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, who previously announced a civil investigation into the delay in notifying Thomas Jefferson families, announced Monday his investigation is expanding to include the entire district.
In a letter to Reid, Miyares says the allegations of withholding the award recognition "may constitute unlawful discrimination" of the Virginia Human Rights Act, though experts and students agree the investigation is looking into an issue with little to no impact on students' futures.
The superintendent issued a letter to families apologizing and saying staff is contacting colleges where impacted students applied. The superintendent also says the school district is cooperating with the investigation, adding that it alerted the attorney general to the two additional schools affected.
