According to a brand new story published by the New York Post, two administrators working for the highest-ranked high school in the country allegedly robbed students of college scholarships and admission opportunities because they hid the academic awards of students in order to push what is being referred to as an “equitable learning environment.”
Guys, this is everything wrong with “equity” in the education system summed up in one incident. Our current culture is absolutely obsessed with skin color or some absurd idea of what “fairness” is, rather than making the defining characteristic of an individual the content of their character and the achievements they work hard to accomplish. A person is far more than the amount of melanin in their epidermis or the challenges they face.
TheBlaze is reporting that quite a few students who attend Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia, earned National Merit awards, however, the school did not notify them of this. A U.S. News & World Report story says this particular educational institution is rated the highest in the country.
“Since students were never made aware of their National Merit awards, they could not use them to potentially receive millions of dollars in college scholarships and boost their college admission opportunities,” TheBlaze said. “The school district chose to withhold this information to comply with its strategy of ‘equal outcomes for every student, without exception.'”
“The Post uncovered that two school officials, Principal Ann Bonitatibus and Director of Student Services Brandon Kosatka, intentionally withheld notification of academic awards from students and families for years, possibly impacting up to 1,200 students during Bonitatibus’ five years at the school,” the report continued.
The New York Post story revealed that Thomas Jefferson has adopted what is known as an “equitable grading” policy which eliminated all zeroes and automatically gave students who attended classes a grade of 50 percent. Half the grade, just for doing the bare minimum and showing up. Liberals are rewarding mediocrity. Is it any wonder so many kids get severe cases of anxiety when they hit the real world and realize that the work place isn’t going to let you coast by due to the color of your skin?
Back in 2020, Bonitatibus failed to notify parents of students that she had lobbied to remove the school’s merit-based admission test in order to support “diversity.”
“The National Merit organization only notifies the school when a student has been recognized for an award. When asked why the organization does not directly contact students or their families, a National Merit spokesperson told the Post that ‘high school officials have consistently requested to be the first to announce and recognize their Semifinalists and Commended Students in the National Merit Scholarship Program,'” the report added.
Shawna Yashar, one of the parents of a student who received an award but was not notified by the school spoke to the Post, saying, “Keeping these certificates from students is theft by the state.”
“According to local parent advocate Debra Tisler, the school’s decision to withhold the awards could be a civil rights violation since most TJ students are considered “gifted” and many are racial minorities,” TheBlaze said. “Yashar stated that during a phone call, Kosatka admitted that the school intentionally withheld the award information.”
“We want to recognize students for who they are as individuals, not focus on their achievements,” Kosatka went on to say to Yashar. So, according to Kosatka, what makes a person an individual is their skin color? Really?
After receiving a fair bit of pushback on this policy, Kosatka sent out an email to parents of students who had been recognized. In it, he issued an apology on behalf of the school and pointed out that officials would be contacting college admissions officers in an effort to correct the record.
“It was a mistake, to be honest,” Fairfax County Public Schools Assistant Superintendent Fabio Zuluaga said in a statement to the Post. “A commendation sends a very strong message to the kid, right? Your work is meaningful. If you work hard in life, there are good benefits from that.”
A spokesperson representing Fairfax County Schools told InsideNoVa, “FCPS understands the hard work and dedication of each and every student who competes for college acceptance and scholarship opportunities. Once the issue regarding the fall 2022 notifications was realized, counselors sent emails and made follow-up calls to each college where these students had applied and informed them of the National Merit Scholarship Commendations.”
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