Va. committee passes bill banning admissions discrimination

[Anonymous]

https://wtop.com/virginia/2022/03/va-senate-passes-bill-banning-admissions-discrimination/amp/
“The bottom line is the (TJ) policy was adopted in order to, frankly, reduce the number of Asian Americans that were attending Thomas Jefferson,” Sen. Chap Petersen said. “And all you have to do is look at all the public comments that were being made at the time.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://wtop.com/virginia/2022/03/va-senate-passes-bill-banning-admissions-discrimination/amp/
“The bottom line is the (TJ) policy was adopted in order to, frankly, reduce the number of Asian Americans that were attending Thomas Jefferson,” Sen. Chap Petersen said. “And all you have to do is look at all the public comments that were being made at the time.”

Yeah!!!!

[Anonymous]

What a stupid bill. Discrimination is already banned by federal law. This bill does literally nothing except try to score political points.

[Anonymous]

Cool. Nothing about allotting seats based on school pyramids.

[Anonymous]

HB 127 Academic year Governor's Schools; certain practices prohibited, permitted, and required.
Introduced by: Glenn R. Davis

SUMMARY AS PASSED HOUSE: (all summaries)
Academic year Governor's Schools; certain practices prohibited and permitted. Prohibits any academic year Governor's School or governing board member, director, administrator, or employee thereof from (i) discriminating against or granting preferential treatment to any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin; (ii) engaging in proxy discrimination, as defined in the bill, in student admissions; or (iii) seeking information on students' race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin during the application process for admission to such school unless expressly required by federal law, and to the extent it is required by federal law, the bill requires such information to be withheld to the maximum extent practicable from any individual involved in admissions decisions to the end that admissions decisions are blind as to the applicants' race, sex, color, ethnicity, and national origin. The bill permits any academic year Governor's School or governing board member, director, administrator, or employee thereof to use traditional academic success factors, as defined in the bill, in student admissions and provides that such use presumptively does not constitute proxy discrimination. The bill also contains provisions relating to evidentiary burdens of proof in certain causes of action involving such proxy discrimination or traditional academic success factors. The bill requires each local school board that jointly manages and controls a regional academic year Governor's school to collaborate to ensure that each public middle school that is eligible to send students to attend such Governor's school offers coursework, curriculum, and instruction that is comparable in content and in rigor in order to provide each student in each such middle school with the opportunity to gain admission to and excel academically at such Governor's school.

[Anonymous]

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That the Code of Virginia is amended by adding a section numbered 22.1-26.2 as follows:

§ 22.1-26.2. Academic year Governor's Schools; certain practices prohibited [ and , ] permitted [ , and required ] .

A. As used in this section:

"Proxy discrimination" means the use of a facially neutral factor in student admissions that correlates with race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin for the purpose of discriminating against or granting a preference to any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin. "Proxy discrimination" includes the use of regional or feeder school caps, quotas, or bonuses, zip codes, other geographic or socioeconomic factors, and peer-group characteristics within feeder or other zoned schools, if such factors are used individually or in combination with other factors for the purpose of discriminating against or granting a preference to any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin.

"Traditional academic success factors" means the following student admissions factors: standardized test results that are not normed for different student groupings, academic grades and similar academic records, extracurricular activities and achievements that are relevant to success at a specialized school, and academic recommendations by teachers and other school officials.

B. No academic year Governor's School or governing board member, director, administrator, or employee thereof shall:

1. Discriminate against or grant preferential treatment to any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin;

2. Engage in proxy discrimination; or

3. Seek information on students' race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin during the application process for admission to such school unless expressly required by federal law, and to the extent it is required by federal law, such information shall be withheld to the maximum extent practicable from any individual involved in admissions decisions to the end that admissions decisions are blind as to the applicants' race, sex, color, ethnicity, and national origin.

C. In any cause of action in a court of competent jurisdiction to challenge an instance of proxy discrimination in violation of subdivision B 2, the plaintiff has the burden to establish a prima facie case of proxy discrimination through statements and other evidence, including statistical evidence, that a particular factor or combination of factors other than traditional academic success factors was selected at least in part for the purpose of discriminating against or granting a preference to any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin. To rebut such a prima facie case of proxy discrimination, the defendant has the burden to prove that the selection of the challenged factor or combination of factors was solely for a lawful purpose and not for the purpose of discriminating against or granting a preference to any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin.

D. Any academic year Governor's School or governing board member, director, administrator, or employee thereof may use traditional academic success factors and such use presumptively does not constitute proxy discrimination. In any cause of action in a court of competent jurisdiction to challenge the use of traditional academic success factors, the plaintiff has the burden to prove that the factors were manipulated, weighted, or otherwise used with the specific intent of discriminating against or granting a preference to an individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin and not simply with knowledge that such use has or may have a disparate impact on such individual or group.

[ E. Each local school board that jointly manages and controls a regional academic year Governor's school pursuant to § 22.1-26 shall collaborate to ensure that each public middle school that is eligible to send students to attend such Governor's school offers coursework, curriculum, and instruction that is comparable in content and in rigor in order to provide each student in each such middle school with the opportunity to gain admission to and excel academically at such Governor's school. ]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:HB 127 Academic year Governor's Schools; certain practices prohibited, permitted, and required.
Introduced by: Glenn R. Davis

SUMMARY AS PASSED HOUSE: (all summaries)
Academic year Governor's Schools; certain practices prohibited and permitted. Prohibits any academic year Governor's School or governing board member, director, administrator, or employee thereof from (i) discriminating against or granting preferential treatment to any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin; (ii) engaging in proxy discrimination, as defined in the bill, in student admissions; or (iii) seeking information on students' race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin during the application process for admission to such school unless expressly required by federal law, and to the extent it is required by federal law, the bill requires such information to be withheld to the maximum extent practicable from any individual involved in admissions decisions to the end that admissions decisions are blind as to the applicants' race, sex, color, ethnicity, and national origin. The bill permits any academic year Governor's School or governing board member, director, administrator, or employee thereof to use traditional academic success factors, as defined in the bill, in student admissions and provides that such use presumptively does not constitute proxy discrimination. The bill also contains provisions relating to evidentiary burdens of proof in certain causes of action involving such proxy discrimination or traditional academic success factors. The bill requires each local school board that jointly manages and controls a regional academic year Governor's school to collaborate to ensure that each public middle school that is eligible to send students to attend such Governor's school offers coursework, curriculum, and instruction that is comparable in content and in rigor in order to provide each student in each such middle school with the opportunity to gain admission to and excel academically at such Governor's school.

As a parent in a pyramid with a lesser middle school, I hope this part is enforced. I somehow doubt that they will beef up Whitman's curriculum and offerings to match the traditional TJ feeders though.

[Anonymous]

"Proxy discrimination" is the key here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What a stupid bill. Discrimination is already banned by federal law. This bill does literally nothing except try to score political points.

It offers safe harbors that are entirely irrelevant if the board is sued in federal court under federal law.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Proxy discrimination" is the key here.

It's bull crap.

[Anonymous]

It's interesting to see that majority DCUM posters are liberals (BTW, it's not surprising). Since this thread, the AAP forum has been extremely quiet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What a stupid bill. Discrimination is already banned by federal law. This bill does literally nothing except try to score political points.

Our school board probably needs something like this in order to stand up to future racist proposals like they TJ admission changes. Not one board member had the backbone to take a stand when they all knew the whole process was shady.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What a stupid bill. Discrimination is already banned by federal law. This bill does literally nothing except try to score political points.

Our school board probably needs something like this in order to stand up to future racist proposals like they TJ admission changes. Not one board member had the backbone to take a stand when they all knew the whole process was shady.

They're in an impossible position now because if the new changes return the school to 3/4 Asian at the expense of black students, they will be sued again. If whatever changes they make don't return the school to 3/4 Asian, they will be facing motions in this lawsuit.

[Anonymous]

THANK YOU, REPUBLICANS!

Finally someone is standing up to the bigoted, anti-Asian racism of the “woke” democrats, and their insane ideas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's interesting to see that majority DCUM posters are liberals (BTW, it's not surprising). Since this thread, the AAP forum has been extremely quiet.

It's not a super active forum compared to others. I really wouldn't read anything into the activity in a 3 hour period.

But I'm guessing that you don't feel constrained to facts.