Caught Reidhanded
Supt. Michelle Reid fights to keep National Merit report secret
UnFAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. — The northern Virginia public school system is marred by yet another outrageous coverup. Michelle Reid, superintendent of Fairfax County Public Schools, went to court today to keep under wraps an investigative report into school principals withholding National Merit awards from students — mostly Asian American students.
This blatant attempt to keep information hidden from the public is an affront to transparency and justice. The report must be released and the truth revealed.
Reid Between the Lies
Caught Reid-handed, Fairfax County’s high-priced lawyers are now fighting transparency.
Reid’s excuse for withholding the report is flimsy at best. You could call them Reid-herrings. Yes, I could go on and on with the Reid puns. Not even one year into her tenure as superintendent of Fairfax County Public Schools, Reid has made a laughing stock of her position, turning into a “woke joke,” as one parent puts it.
In a statement emailed to parents at She claims that the investigation involved confidential documentation and interviews, and releasing the information would be a “risk to staff safety,” a “waiver of privilege” and “public disclosure of confidential information” about students, teachers and administrators.
There is one word for the solution: redaction. (Or, yes, Reid-action.)
Redactions are done with Freedom of Information Act requests. But somehow Reid can’t be bothered, and she is now using privacy concerns as a shield to obstruct the truth and prevent accountability.
The video released by Reid, attempting to justify her actions, is nothing more than a fancy cover-up. It echoes the tactics employed by Loudoun County Public Schools, where the sexual assault of girls was concealed and covered up.
The connection between these two incidents raises concerns of political corruption and a deliberate war on students in the name of misguided notions of "equity." Such actions undermine the foundations of our education system and erode trust in those entrusted with our children's futures.
In an intricate dance of deception and legal maneuvers, Reid's actions bear a striking resemblance to the strategic approach employed by Robert Falconi, the chief attorney of Loudoun County Public Schools. Falconi, a guardian of secrecy, has adeptly fought to conceal the appalling truth surrounding the sexual assault of young girls within Loudoun County, orchestrating a cover-up. Importantly, Falconi once worked as an attorney at Fairfax County Public Schools with John Foster, the chief attorney of the Fairfax County School district. Foster now spearheads a legal strategy to hide his own scandal.
Protecting reputations and suppressing facts eclipse truth and justice.
Reid Alert
In late December 2022, I revealed in the City Journal that National Merit Commended Student awards were withheld from students at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology due to a misguided attempt to spare the feelings of those who did not receive the accolades. A subsequent Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request uncovered a disturbing pattern of deliberate award withholding that disproportionately affected Asian American students.
These actions are in direct contrast to the, yes, Reid-iculous claims of the superintendent to mere oversight and logistical issues. The evidence suggests a systemic problem and a deliberate attempt to undermine merit-based recognition.
Emails obtained through the FOIA request shed light on the extent of the deceit. Teachers discussing the awards openly expressed their ideological opposition to using the PSAT as a measure of success. They engaged in head games, ultimately playing with students' emotions and sense of achievement. Such behavior is unacceptable and goes against the very purpose of education, which should foster a fair and supportive environment for all students.
Additionally, testimonies from parents, including my experience, reveal a disturbing lack of transparency and communication from school authorities. Families were left in the dark about their children's awards, learning about them months or even years after the fact. This disregard for basic parental rights and the manipulation of students' achievements is deeply troubling.
The urgency to release the investigative report cannot be overstated. Parents in both Loudoun and Fairfax Counties are demanding transparency and accountability. The continued cover-ups and attempts to keep crucial information hidden only deepen the wounds inflicted upon the community by bureaucrats and politicians. By releasing the reports, the school systems can begin to rebuild trust and demonstrate its commitment to addressing the systemic injustices that have come to light.
Reid Flag
The release of the report in Fairfax County is not an act of retribution or an attempt to shame individuals, but rather a necessary step towards restoring faith in the education system. It is an opportunity for the school authorities to acknowledge their mistakes, learn from them and take concrete steps to rectify the situation. The community deserves answers and assurances that these unjust practices will be rectified to ensure a fair and merit-based educational environment for all students.
The battle for transparency and accountability within the northern Virginia public school system is intense. The fight to keep the report secret is a red flag — er, I mean, a Reid flag — warning us about the lengths to which politicians, bureaucrats and lawyers will go in UnFairfax County, Va., to cover up the abuse of power of the 12-0 all-Democratic school board.
Reid's attempts to keep the investigative report hidden only deepen the mistrust and frustration among parents and the community. It is high time for the truth to be Reid-vealed and for the report to be released. Only through openness and a commitment to rectifying systemic injustices can we hope to rebuild a school system that truly values merit and supports the success of all students.
Reidemption
There is a school board election this November in Fairfax County.
The failure of the school board over the past three years means that most of the current school board members saw the writing on the wall and they are not running for re-election. But Reid remains in her job — for now. Across the border, the Loudoun County Public Schools superintendent — Scott Zeigler — who oversaw the report coverup last year is out of a job and facing trial for mishandling the sexual assault investigation. Parents demanded he release his report. He refused.
Now Reid is following in his footsteps.
Reidemption for any public official who has lost the public’s trust can only be found with transparency and truth-telling. So far, we are getting none of that in UnFairfax County, Virginia. Parents are now correctly demanding Reid’s resignation.
Asra Q. Nomani is the author of Woke Army: The Red-Green Alliance That Is Destroying America’s Freedom.
Reid-Herrings: An Email Filled with Excuses
From: Fairfax County Public Schools <e-notify@fcps.edu>
Sent: Monday, June 12, 2023 at 03:53:13 PM EDT
Subject: Superintendent Message Regarding Update on National Merit Investigation
June 12, 2023
Dear FCPS Families,
Last winter, FCPS retained an outside law firm to conduct an independent external investigation into the process our high schools have followed to notify students of their designation as Commended Students by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.
The investigation involved reviewing confidential documentation and conducting confidential interviews with staff and parents. In March, we publicly shared a high-level summary of key findings.
Now, as part of a separate investigation, Virginia’s Attorney General has requested, by subpoena, a full copy of the report, which includes privileged and confidential information. FCPS will be taking legal action to oppose the Attorney General’s subpoena because we believe that providing this information would likely result in a risk to staff safety, a waiver of privilege, and public disclosure of confidential information relating to individual FCPS students, teachers, and administrators.
Please take a few moments to watch Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid’s explanation of why FCPS has taken this important legal action. It goes without saying, staff and student safety is a top priority.
Thank you.
Fairfax County Public Schools
Are these awards valuable for anything other than parental bragging rights?
The name "Reid" caught my attention, as I've seen that word before. He was the head of security at the Harold Washington Library. That is the big one in Chicago, the central library. I sat down across from "Mr. Reid," whom I would later dub "Black Stalin." He ran the security department of the library; and he was anti-white. The guard was dehumanizing people. I protested and due to some confusion I had to clarify my stance and to do that I needed to gently (I think so!) poke him on the chest. That led to the charges against me later being called "assault." A policeman, casually walking by, had advised his fellow security professionals to just make the strongest charge. I mean, why not? Later, I tried to be clever and I offered to shake hands (I have always been touch-feely). He then forced me to do a "dep" handshake. (i.e. fistbump handshake: you know). He was trying to start his own little totalitarian movement. I wouldn't call me 'Woke." It was just a little before that became a thing. It wasn't The New Jim Crow but it was "the New Black Racism."