‘Unacceptable’: Youngkin Outraged Over Delays in Notifying Student Recipients of Their National Merit Award

Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin was outraged over delays by high schools in notifying “commended” students of their National Merit Award, as four more schools reported the same issue on Friday, increasing the school count in Fairfax County to seven in total.

“What started off as allegations of one of our most prominent schools has revealed a systematic problem,” Youngkin said in a tweet on Jan. 14. “Now, there are news reports that seven schools in NOVA [northern Virginia] have delayed notifying Virginia students of their academic achievements. This is unacceptable.”

Students who score among the top 3 percent in Preliminary SAT (PSAT) tests obtain the “Commended Student” accolade, which for some may open doors to special scholarship programs provided by corporate and business sponsors. However, high schools are charged by the National Merit Scholarship Corp. program, which runs the test, with relaying the news to award recipients.

The issue was first discovered at the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST), which is ranked No. 1 nationwide. Soon after, two more high schools, including Virginia’s No. 2 Langley High School, reported the same issue. Then, on Friday, four more joined the group.

At an interview with ABC7 on Sunday, Youngkin connected the delay issue with the overarching equity approach of Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS)…. (Excerpt from The Epoch Times)