Supreme Court Urged to Address Race in High School Admissions

A parents group, supported by a conservative legal organization, has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review an admissions policy at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology in Virginia, which they claim is racially discriminatory. The policy, adopted in 2020, aimed to diversify the elite high school but was designed to be race-neutral. After the policy was implemented, the percentage of Black and Hispanic students increased, while the percentage of Asian-American students decreased. The parents group argues that the policy violates the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment. The case comes after the Supreme Court's recent decision to bar colleges and universities from considering race as a factor in admissions.