Virginia government tells elite high school to ‘cut ties’ with Chinese government

Jerry Dunleavy

March 16, 11:44 AM March 16, 11:44 AM

The Virginia Education Department directed Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) to “cut ties” with Chinese government-linked entities after it was revealed by the Washington Examiner that one of its elite high schools had collaborated with a Chinese military-linked group for years.

Virginia Secretary of Education Aimee Guidera sent a letter to FCPS Superintendent Michelle Reid on Wednesday, pressing the school system on revelations that Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST) and the TJHSST Partnership Fund have “accepted significant financial contributions from entities known to have connections to the Chinese Communist Party."

VIRGINIA HIGH SCHOOL WORKED WITH CHINESE MILITARY-LINKED ORG

The Virginia-based school partnered with Tsinghua University High School, or TUHS, to assist it and China generally with adopting the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, or STEM, and advanced lab research. TUHS is closely tied to Tsinghua University, considered by the Pentagon to be a Chinese military university.

Guidera told FCPS on Wednesday to "direct schools within your division to cut ties with CCP-linked partners” and said she had asked her department to “investigate the prevalence of such relationships between CCP-linked partners and local school divisions” across Virginia.

The Virginia education secretary said the revelations that “a Virginia high school accepted contributions from CCP-linked entities” were “concerning, and warrant a response regarding the nature of these funds.” Guidera told FCPS to say exactly how much money the TJ fund had received from the Chinese entities and how those funds were used, and whether any of the Chinese entities “provided any guidance, influence, or instructional materials related to content taught” at TJHSST.

Guidera also asked FCPS whether “any non-public student information” or “any instructional materials, class schedules, and individual performance or evaluation indicators” were provided to the Chinese entities.

The Virginia government inquiry comes following a Washington Examiner investigation into the saga.

The nonprofit organization Parents Defending Education (PDE) helped unearth the Chinese funding for TJHSST and had asked Virginia's Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin to investigate.

“We are grateful that Gov. Youngkin and Secretary Guidera have taken swift steps to investigate the scope of this scandal — not only at TJ, but throughout the Commonwealth,” PDE President Nicole Neily said. “This incident highlights the acute need for federal lawmakers to address this problem going forward, and to mandate disclosure of foreign funding to America’s K-12 schools.”

FCPS recently attempted to defend the arrangement between TJHSST and the Chinese entities. Julie Moult, the media relations manager for FCPS, told the Washington Examiner last week that TJHSST is "world-renowned" and that "it is not unusual for elite public schools, colleges, and universities in the U.S. to benefit from donations and grants from various sources, including international sources.”

FCPS did not respond to a request for comment about the new state-level investigation.

The TJPF received hundreds of thousands of dollars from Tsinghua University as part of its agreement with TUHS. The TJPF also received hundreds of thousands of dollars from Ameson Education and Cultural Exchange Foundation, as well as the Chinese company Shirble, which were all led by men tied to China’s United Front Work Department, which manages Chinese government foreign influence campaigns.

Top US high school collaborated with Chinese state military-affiliated institution

Jerry Dunleavy

March 07, 09:00 AM March 07, 09:00 AM

EXCLUSIVE — The top public school in the United States received hundreds of thousands of dollars from groups tied to China’s military.

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST), part of Fairfax County Public Schools, is consistently ranked as the top high school in the nation. However, this element of its ties to Beijing has been largely unknown — until now.

HUNTER BIDEN FIRM TEAMED UP WITH CHINESE MILITARY COMPANY NOW HELPING RUSSIAN WAR IN UKRAINE

The prestigious school partnered with Tsinghua University High School (TUHS) in 2014 to assist it and China generally with adopting the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and advanced lab research TJHSST is famous for. TUHS is closely tied to Tsinghua University, considered by the Pentagon to be a Chinese military university.

The Thomas Jefferson Partnership Fund (TJPF) received hundreds of thousands of dollars from Tsinghua University as part of this agreement. TJPF also received hundreds of thousands of dollars from Ameson Education and Cultural Exchange Foundation as well as the Chinese company Shirble, which were both led by men tied to China’s United Front Work Department, the Chinese government’s foreign influence campaign. TJPF exists to support the Virginia school, and the fund’s board of directors includes TJ’s principal, assistant principal, faculty representatives, and the head of TJ’s parent-teacher association.

The grassroots nonprofit organization Parents Defending Education helped unearth the Chinese funding for TJHSST. The Virginia school did not respond to a request for comment. TJPF said in November 2014 that TJHS “will be partnering with" TUHS as the fund announced “Tsinghua University made a $300,000 donation.” The university was dubbed a “Jefferson Founding Partner.”

However, TUHS's concerning links have been well known. The Pentagon assessed in 2020 there were “Military-Civil Fusion linkages” with Tsinghua University, noting the school's "People's Liberation Army-affiliated labs." A report prepared for the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) in 2022 noted the PLA Air Force “established the ‘Dual-Enrollment Program’ with Tsinghua University.”

Also, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute found that Tsinghua University is “jointly supervised" by the "State Administration of Science, Technology, and Industry for National Defense.”

“We already knew the Chinese Communist Party infiltrated America’s colleges and universities through ‘Confucius Institute’ programs,” Nicki Neily, president and founder of PDE, told the Washington Examiner. “However, it is frightening to discover the same problem occurring in K-12 schools.”

TUHS says it is “attached” to Tsinghua University and is “directly under the Ministry of Education.” TUHS’s principal noted the school is “under the guidance” of the CCP, and leaders of the TUHS include CCP officials. TUHS International’s advisory board also includes Mao Daqing, part of the “United Front Work Department of CCP Central Committee.”

Ameson was also named among the “Jefferson Founding Partners & International Partners” in 2015 for a donation of $250,000 or above, and in 2016 for a similar donation. Its “honorary chairman” was former U.N. Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, but tax records show its “founder and chairman” was Sean Wuhua Zhang. Zhang is listed as a “deputy director of the Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan Overseas Chinese Committee of the Jiangsu Provincial Political Consultative Conference” and “vice chairman of the Jiangsu Overseas Friendship Association.”

USCC said in 2018 the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference is “under the leadership of the CCP” and is “the highest-ranking entity overseeing the United Front system.”

The Chinese government-linked Ambright Education Group helped set up the “Thomas Schools of China” — modeled off of TJHSST. Ambright also counts Zhang as a “dean.” Ambright said the “Thomas Schools of China” came about through “collaboration" with TJHSST, and its 2019 recruitment flyer said it was “establishing Thomas Schools of China” in Shanghai, Hefei, Jinan, and Nanjing by incorporating “advanced school operations” from TJHSST.

The Thomas Schools emphasize they are “modeled after the curriculum” of TJHSST and aim to "support the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.” Its steering committee includes former Chinese government officials.

Shirble, seemingly just a Chinese department store, had as chairman Yang Xiangbo, a “member" of multiple sessions of the "National Committee” of the United Front’s “Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.” The TJ fund said Shirble donated at least $500,000 in fiscal 2018. A message from Yang Xiangbo on the Shirble website noted CCP officials “visited Shirble Department Store in person to guide the work and put forward ardent expectations for Shirble.”

Other TJ fund donors included Lockheed Martin, Northup Grumman, NASA, and the State Department.

SEE IT: Youngkin requests investigation of school following hidden merit awards

Julia Johnson

January 03, 02:32 PM January 03, 02:32 PM

The leadership of Virginia's Thomas Jefferson High School, which hid National Merit awards from students, might soon face an investigation.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) announced Tuesday his request for Attorney General Jason Miyares to begin an investigation of the school's leadership after it made headlines nationwide for withholding notification of the awards from students and their families. They were only informed of the achievements after critical deadlines had already passed with respect to college scholarships.

PARENTS DESERVE THE TRUTH, NOT SABOTAGE BY THEIR CHILDREN'S SCHOOLS

“We need to get to the bottom of what appears to be an egregious, deliberate attempt to disadvantage high-performing students at one of the best schools in the country,” Youngkin said. “Parents and students deserve answers and Attorney General Miyares will initiate a full investigation. I believe this failure may have caused material harm to those students and their parents, and that this failure may have violated the Virginia Human Rights Act.”

Last week, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears brought attention to the scandal, calling it "reprehensible." She claimed she had reached out to the attorney general and governor to initiate an investigation, which she seems to have followed through on.

Principal Ann Bonitatibus reportedly was notified in April of the students who would be recognized in the coming fall. However, certificates were not provided to students until November.

A local mother, Shawna Yashar, called the act “theft by the state."

Education was a pivotal issue in Virginia's 2021 gubernatorial election, with many crediting Youngkin's commitment to parents for the win. The then-candidate ran on a platform of listening to parents and fighting against critical race theory and transgender policies in schools.