TJ (Thomas Jefferson High School) has often been cited as one of the best schools in the country. It has been put on the hot seat for not prioritizing diversification of racial origins  among the students it enrolls.

Reading current newspaper reports on the Olympics in England has caused me to question this criticism of TJ. Photos show three female sprinters representing the USA to be black and the the winning eight USA female rowers to be all white.

Does this represent mistaken priorities held by our Olympic officials? Should striving for excellence be diluted by a policy of diversification? Should TJ have a quota in the future on accepting Asian students for admission? ( A Fairfax County Times of July 27-28 reports a most recent TJ class admitted 64 percent Asian students and only 26 percent white.)

No easy answer to these valid questions.

Robert E. Simon
rsimonva@comcast.net