Updated 12:45 p.m. January 18, 2023 — The number of Prince William County high schools that failed to notify students they were the recipients of National Merit recognition in time for the college application process grew to four.
According to county schools spokeswoman Diana Gulotta, Battlefield, Colgan, Forest Park, and Patriots high schools failed to tell a combined 28 students they received letters of commendation from the National Merit Scholarship Program.
While the students do not qualify for the scholarship, many students use the commendation letters on college applications. The school division said it learned about the error on Tuesday, January 16 when the original number of county high school students believed to have not been notified was 16.
“[Prince William County Public Schools] believes strongly that all student achievement should be recognized,” said Gulotta. “This delay was due to an accidental administrative oversight. PWCS regrets this mistake occurred and principals have notified all those impacted.”
Gulotta said Prince William County students can get their qualifying scores through their College Board Account.
The error comes after Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares launched an investigation into why similar errors occurred at high schools in Loudoun and Fairfax counties, including Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, a school at which students across Northern Virginia apply to attend.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin told WJLA-TV Northern Virginia school divisions that failed to inform students of their achievements had prioritized equal outcomes for all students over individual student success.
“They have a maniacal focus on equal outcomes for all students at all costs,” the TV station quoted the governor.
State Senator Scott Surovell, representing a portion of Prince William County until December 31, 2023, has called the Youngkin administration’s pursuit of answers in a so-called War on Merit “absurd.” The lawmaker shared a post written by a Thomas Jefferson High School student in what appears to be a student newspaper stating, “The delay in notifying the students of their status was wrong, but framing it as a war on merit is misleading. Merit is valued, recognized, and considered in every corner of Jefferson, from morning announcements to weekly emails to conversations about scoring an internship or a recent physics test.”
High school students must take the PSAT to screen for the National Merit Scholarship. Later some students are given Program recognition and awards, including commended students, semifinalists, finalists, and the winners of the National Merit $2,500 scholarships.
