3 Loudoun Schools Failed To Notify Merit Scholars In Timely Fashion: Superintendent

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — Three Loudoun County high schools failed to notify students in a timely manner that they had been recognized as National Merit Scholarship commended scholars, interim Loudoun schools superintendent Daniel Smith reported.

The Loudoun schools that failed to notify students in a timely fashion were Loudoun County High School, Freedom High School, and Potomac Falls High School.

"There is no indication that the commended scores were withheld from students intentionally," Smith told the school board on Tuesday.

Loudoun County Public Schools reviewed their practices after a Washington Post report found that students at Thomas Jefferson High School in Fairfax did not notify students of their National Merit status until after they had already started to submit college applications. Attorney General Jason Miyares announced an investigation into the Fairfax school system on Tuesday.

Read more: Investigation Into Commended Students Notifications At FCPS Expands

School officials said Loudoun County High School has not received the notification packet about commended from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. The school had communicated with the corporation about next steps.

Freedom High School had a "lag in notification due to human error," at-large school board member Denise Corbo wrote on Facebook. The school has since met with the honored students and notified universities about the honor, the superintendent said.

Potomac Falls High School officials reported that they had not notified commended scholars as they planned to honor them in a ceremony later in January. The school has since notified the honored students, Smith said.

"National Merit Commended Student recognition is a school based program and as such the way students are recognized varies widely across the nation," Corbo wrote on Tuesday. "At this time LCPS is working on a communication plan that will standardize this process across LCPS high schools."