As we reported, an elite Virginia high school allegedly hid the fact that members of its student body–some of whom were of Asian ancestry–had earned National Merit awards that could lead to valuable scholarships to colleges, to keep other students from feeling inferior, in the name of “equity.” My colleague Bob Hoge explained the grave harm these actions caused the deserving students:

By hiding the awards, the administrators at the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology not only denied the students their accomplishments, but they made it impossible for them to use the distinction on their college applications.

Bob also wrote about the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Lieutentant Governor, Winsome Spears, speaking out boldly about the school’s actions, during an appearance as a guest on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends” program on Tuesday morning:

Sears powerfully lays out the argument that assuring equal outcomes in school—or elsewhere—does not work in the real world and leads to unprepared people being thrust out into the workforce. It also leads to those who work hard for their achievements being openly discriminated against, and as she points out, that’s just not the American way.

Winsome vows to investigate this matter, and let’s hope she holds this school and these prejudiced administrators accountable.

Toward the close of his piece, Bob included a tweet from the lieutenant governor; in it, she shared the concrete action she was taking–instead of just giving the issue lip service. She had “reached out to the Governor and Attorney General and asked for an investigation.”

Now, “The Center Square – Virginia” site is reporting that the state’s AG, Jason Miyares has done just that, with two lawsuits on civil rights grounds–one on the merit awards issue and the other on the school’s admission practices:

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares announced Wednesday civil rights investigations into allegations Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology withheld national awards from students, potentially costing them millions in scholarships.

At the same time, Miyares announced a second, separate civil rights investigation into the school’s admission policy, which Miyares says has resulted in a significant drop in the Asian American student population at the school and violates the Virginia Human Rights Act.

“Racism and race-based government decision making is wrong and goes against who we are, and I want to get to the bottom of this,” Miyares said in a Wednesday news conference.

Miyares continued:

No student should be treated differently because of their race. Students at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology are amongst the brightest in the nation, yet some have been punished in the name of ‘equity.’

The controversial admissions policies at TJHSST, which have significantly decreased the amount of Asian American students enrolled in recent years, is another example of students being treated differently because of their ethnicity.

We’ll keep you posted on any developments on these lawsuits, which hopefully will restore some measure of the honor these students, and future students at the learning institution, richly deserve.