‘Cease and desist’: Virginia attorney general calls on Fairfax County college to end racial discrimination

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares has sent an official letter to the college currently at the center of a controversy over racial discrimination against white and Asian students.

In his letter, Miyares demanded that Cooper Middle School, part of Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), stop discriminating against students applying for their College Partnership Program (CPP) courses based on race. In an email sent to students and parents on March 1, the invitation to apply for the CPP was specifically aimed at black, Hispanic and multiracial students, as well as students with disabilities, those who do not speak English like first language, those living in poverty and those who would be the first in their families to go to university.

“Please cease and desist from the unlawful conduct of soliciting and selecting applicants for the University Partnership Program based on race, color and national origin,” Miyares demanded in his statement. letter to the principle of Cooper Middle School, pointing out that their conduct violated the Virginia Human Rights Act.

This is an actual question on a Grade 12 AP Government Test in Fairfax County Public Schools. I don’t care who you are or what side of the aisle you are on, that should piss you off. pic.twitter.com/y0Bi1eI3QS

— Rory Cooper (@rorycooper) March 10, 2023

RELATED: Tensions rise in Virginia schools over racial issues

Fake stories?

Attorney General Miyares also requested that by March 17, the school provide evidence that it has ‘retracted and corrected’ its original invitation to the CPP, and that all requests be handled in a ‘non-discriminatory manner. and legal”. His letter also added that this correspondence would, as The Epoch Times declared“acts as a litigation hold, preventing the school and its officers from deleting recordings.”

Miyares published a Press release after sending the letter, stating:

“It is shocking that we continue to find such egregious examples of racial and ethnic discrimination in the Fairfax County public school system. Every student should be able to apply for the College Partnership Program and have the same opportunities as their peers, regardless of race…I demand that Cooper Middle School, its administrators, and anyone involved in this program immediately stop this unlawful discrimination.

The FCPS responded to the GA’s statement, calling its description of the events “totally inaccurate”.

“We are disappointed that no one from the Commonwealth of Virginia Attorney General’s Office has contacted Fairfax County Public Schools to verify the authenticity of these reports,” an FCPS spokesperson said in a statement provided to The old times who had asked for further comments. “Instead, false and damaging public accusations against Cooper Middle School have been made.”

“In fact, in the 2022-23 academic year, 352 Asian students (17.4%) and 176 White students (8.7%) out of a total of 2,018 students were enrolled in the program, which is designed to encourage historically underrepresented groups to consider a path to college,” the FCPS representative added. “Publishing false stories like this undermines public school efforts to boost academic achievement in the United States.”

This is so wrong on so many levels! https://t.co/q4V1cUYiOC

— The Political Insider (@TPInsidr) March 9, 2023

RELATED: Virginia Middle School says white and Asian students don’t need to apply for college prep classes

But what about email?

During Epoch Times correspondence with FCPS, the district spokesperson would not comment on the email from Cooper Middle School that sparked this situation.

The father of an Asian FCPS student who spoke to The Times, who wished to remain anonymous, said he was “concerned” that the school appeared to have only invited black students and Hispanics at the CPP, saying, “That’s not fair. That’s not true.”

Victoria LaCivita, the spokeswoman for Miyares’ office, told reporters that “the email from Cooper Middle School speaks for itself and, in the opinion of the Attorney General, violates the law.”

“That’s why Attorney General Miyares demanded a correction of the email,” she continued. “If FCPS is serious about boosting academic achievement and not undermining it, it should stop sending emails the way it has been doing. Discrimination has no place in education and Attorney General Miyares will continue to demand let her stop.