Appeals court upholds admissions policy at elite Virginia high school

By MATTHEW BARAKAT
Associated Press

A divided federal appeals court has upheld the constitutionality of a new admissions policy at an elite Virginia high school that critics say discriminates against Asian Americans. The 2-1 ruling Tuesday from the appellate court in Richmond overturns a ruling last year that found the Fairfax County School Board engaged in impermissible “racial balancing” when it overhauled the admissions policy at the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. The school frequently is cited among the best in the nation, and admission is highly competitive. But Black and Hispanic students have been woefully underrepresented for decades. A new admissions policy has increased Black and Hispanic representation. Asian American representation has dropped.