Well, I suspected last week that we probably hadn’t seen the end of this story and that’s certainly proven to be the case. As Beege pointed out yesterday, the number of Fairfax County high schools where students were not informed they had received National Merit Scholar Awards has risen to seven. That’s in addition to the three schools in nearby Loudoun County that made the same mistake. That brings us to ten Virginia high schools.

Yesterday, Prince William County which is just a bit further west from Fairfax County joined the club.

Another School system in Northern Virginia has admitted to not telling students about their prestigious national merit recognition in time for important college scholarship deadlines.

Two Prince William County high schools didn’t notify students of their national merit recognition in time for important college scholarship and admissions deadlines, the school district told 7News.

The school system blames “accidental administrative oversight” for not telling students last September.

In all, this only impacted 16 students but that just points out again how few students receive these awards in the first place. In addition, Loudoun County added a fourth school to its existing tally.

On Monday, 7News learned a fourth high school in Loudoun County, John Champe High School, didn’t notify students of their national merit recognition. The principal of the Loudoun County high school sent an email notifying the high school the Director of School Counseling is on leave as of Jan 13. Right now, it’s unclear if the counselor was placed on leave for not notifying students of their national merit recognition.

It’s difficult to keep track of all of this but that brings us to 13 schools in all, seven in Fairfax County, four in Loudoun County and two in Prince William County. The Daily Mail created this list. The unnamed high school is John Champe High:

Fairfax County Superintendent Michelle Reid has claimed all of the failures in her district were the result of individual failures, not an organized effort. But Reid has expressed her commitment to equity from her start on the job. In this clip put out by FCPS she said, “I’ve made it my life’s work to ensure equitable opportunities and equal outcome for each and every student that I’ve had the opportunity to serve

I don’t think anyone has a problem with a superintendent who wants to see equal opportunities for all students under her care to learn and grow. That’s a good thing. But her statement about ensuring an “equal outcome” for every student is a step too far.

The outcomes for these kids, as measured by their abilities and knowledge when they leave public schools at grade 12, isn’t solely up to teachers or administrators. As these kids grow, a significant portion of the outcome shifts onto their own shoulders (and also to a significant degree the shoulders of their parents). That’s by design. For kids who go on to college, they need to be ready to move on with less hand holding from parents and teachers. High school is a time when they are learning how to do this for themselves.

Students who learn to do the work they are presented with to the best of their ability and who are expected to do the work by their parents are going to excel in school while students who don’t have that drive or the help at home are going to struggle. On top of this, every student is different. Some will excel in English or languages and some in math or science. Some will excel at sports or social activities and others will struggle in those areas. The point is, no one can ensure equal outcomes without doing things designed to hold back those who naturally excel in one area or another.

And doesn’t it sound as if that’s what happened in these high schools? Administrators and/or teachers had the feeling that highlighting the outstanding achievements of a few students wasn’t that important to them or anyone else. Where would a bunch of education professionals all get that same terrible idea? I don’t know for certain but it wouldn’t surprise me if many of them had seen equity presentations like this one:

I wrote about this particular clip back in November 2021. It was being shown to teachers in Loudoun County, Virginia as part of the districts’ equity push.

As you’ll see if you stick with it, this clip compares “standardized tests” to a pool full of sharks set in the middle of the running track. And curiously, the shark pool is only on the side of the track where minorities are running. Do only minorities take standardized tests? Aren’t Asian students a smaller minority than black or Latino students in this country? How do they do on these tests?

The race ends with the white male runner winning by riding on a moving conveyer belt while the white woman is still running and the two minority runners are literally in jail and dead.

Maybe some of the teachers in these Virginia school districts believed what this clip was presenting (or something very similar) and decided a little equity was in order in the form of not emphasizing the achievements of a few students on standardized tests, tests which are presented as harmful to equity. You have to admit it seems possible that’s what happened here. You don’t need an actual conspiracy or an email chain linking all of these people together when everyone is being indoctrinated with the same progressive views.