FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. (7News) — Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares gave an update Wednesday regarding his multi-year investigation into the contested admissions policy for Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.

Miyares said his office notified Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) that it is in violation of the Virginia Human Rights Act and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by discriminating against Asian American students in the admissions process at the school.

The Fairfax County School Board changed admissions procedures for the magnet school in late 2020 to reflect the socioeconomic and geographic diversity of the county’s other schools. The updated policy guarantees every middle school a certain number of seats, raises the minimum GPA and class size, and eliminates the standardized tests and application fee.

Since then, a coalition of parents have argued the updated policy discriminates against their Asian American children.

Miyares began his investigation in January 2023. While that was underway, federal judges in Richmond, Virginia, and the U.S. Supreme Court sided with the school district. Only two Justices dissented in 2024 , but the year before, a majority of Justices struck down admissions policies at colleges and universities that took account of the race of applicants.

"Let me be clear, discrimination is wrong, and when that discrimination comes from those entrusted to educate our children and uphold the law, it is especially troubling," Miyares said at a press conference Wednesday.

According to Miyares, Asian American students received 56 fewer offers of admission immediately following the shift in policies, after consistently making up more than 65 percent of admitted students. He said the school was already a "minority majority high school," but the board "determined it was the wrong minorities."

FCPS previously reported that for the fall 2023 school year , Asian American students represented 61.6 percent of admissions offers for the freshman class. White students received 19%, Black students received 6.7%, and Hispanic students received 6%. Economically disadvantaged students comprised 11.6% of the class.

“We’re very proud that the last three years of TJHSST admissions decisions included students from every Fairfax County middle school and the average grade-point average (GPA) was 3.9, which is consistent with historical averages,” Fairfax County School Board Chair Karl Frisch said in a statement following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision.

"The board abandoned a race-neutral, merit-based system that previously was in place, and they adopted a policy structure specifically designed to reduce the number of Asian American students," Miyares said.

“The fix was reverse engineering the numbers so that they ended up creating a new rubric that would make sure that they got the race goals that they wanted," said Asra Nomani, whose son is an alumnus of the school. She helped lead the coalition of parents fighting against this policy.

“This matter has already been fully litigated," FCPS said in a statement to 7News on Wednesday. "A federal appellate court determined there was no merit to arguments that the admissions policy for Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology discriminates against any group of students. Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) division leadership and counsel are currently reviewing the documents released today by the Attorney General and will issue a more detailed response in the coming days. FCPS remains committed to providing a world-class education for all of our students.”

Miyares said he is referring the matter to the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Justice for further enforcement under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.