Fairfax County Public Schools is requesting a stay of a judge’s ruling that invalidated the recently revised admissions system at prestigious magnet school Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.

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       Officials for the Fairfax school system are asking that U.S. District Judge Claude Hilton allow the TJ admissions process to proceed unchanged for the Class of 2026 while the school system considers next steps — including appealing Hilton’s ruling. The current TJ admissions cycle is “already well under way,” Fairfax School Board Chair Stella Pekarsky (Sully) said in a statement Friday, and ending it prematurely will cause chaos.

       “Failure to grant this [stay] would cause uncertainty and distress to the current applicant pool” of about 2,500 students, Pekarsky said. “In addition, failure to grant this would cause significant operational disruptions for TJ ahead of the next school year, including hiring decisions, course selections, teaching assignments and the development of curriculum.”

       Judge calls Thomas Jefferson High admissions changes illegal

       Hilton ruled last week that the admissions system for TJ discriminates against Asian American applicants — and constitutes an illegal act of “racial balancing” — and declared that the system must end immediately. He issued the opinion to decide a parent-brought lawsuit that alleged the current TJ admissions system unlawfully discriminates against Asian Americans; a conclusion Hilton supported in his ruling.

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       Fairfax school officials had revised the admissions system for TJ in 2020 by eliminating a notoriously difficult test and a $100 application fee. The school is often ranked the top high school in the nation and is highly sought after in the D.C. area.

       In replacement, the Fairfax superintendent proposed — and the school board approved — a “holistic review” admissions process that takes into account four student “experience factors,” including socioeconomic status, disability status, whether the applicant speaks English as a first language and whether the applicant graduated from a middle school that has historically sent few students to TJ.

       The revisions were meant to boost diversity at the school, which has long enrolled single-digit percentages of Black and Hispanic students. In June 2021, the first year the admissions changes took effect, TJ admitted a class of freshmen that was more diverse than any other in recent memory.

       After admissions changes, Thomas Jefferson High will welcome most diverse class in recent history, officials say

       The TJ Class of 2025 has more Black, Hispanic and low-income students than previous classes. But it has fewer Asian American students: The percentage of Asian admits dropped from the 70 percent seen in recent classes to about 50 percent of the freshmen who received offers.

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       The revisions to the admissions process have drawn criticism since inception, with some parents, students and alumni asserting the school system is discriminating against Asian Americans. The changes have so far drawn two lawsuits alleging racism against Asian Americans — including the suit in which Hilton ruled last week, which was brought by parent and alumni group, the Coalition for TJ.

       Shortly after Hilton’s ruling, Fairfax division counsel John Foster said the school district is considering appealing Hilton’s decision, a stance Pekarsky reiterated Friday.

       Pekarsky said Fairfax “believes the ruling is not supported by law and is considering all options around an appeal. … Fairfax believes that our new application process will eventually be proven to meet all legal requirements.”