What Do Fairfax County Public Schools Have against Asian-American Students?

Today is January 20, meaning we are now halfway through President Biden’s term. On the menu today: It’s a very personal edition of the Morning Jolt, in which we look at the recent spate of Fairfax County Public Schools’ failing to inform students of their National Merit Scholarship recognition and lousing up their college applications, and district administrators’ discomfort with the spectacular achievements of Asian-American students.

A Fiasco in Fairfax County

You’ve probably heard that here in Fairfax County, Va. — the county I’m typing this newsletter in — a bunch of the local high schools failed to inform students of their National Merit Scholarship recognition “in time for important college scholarship and admissions deadlines.” As National Review’s editors declared, “Whether by negligence or explicit intent, school administrators in the district denied their most academically exceptional students the status and recognition provided by the prestigious scholarship — just as those students were filing their college applications.”

Our governor, Glenn Youngkin, is spitting hot fire — well, amiably, because he’s still Glenn Youngkin — and our state attorney general, Jason Miyares, has launched an investigation to determine if the schools violated the rights of their students: “My office will investigate the entire Fairfax County Public Schools system to find out if any students were discriminated against and if their rights were violated.”