China Buys Handbook from Virginia School System on Replicating America’s Top STEM School

A Virginia school district sold the curriculum and blueprint of one of America’s top STEM schools to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), raising serious concerns about the infiltration of U.S. educational institutions by foreign powers. Documents reveal that from 2014 to 2021, Chinese entities funneled $3.6 million to a nonprofit tied to Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST) in exchange for insider information on how to replicate the prestigious school in China.

This shocking deal has exposed the depths of the Biden administration’s failure to protect America’s intellectual property and secure the nation’s educational system from foreign interference. Between 2014 and 2021, the Thomas Jefferson Partnership Fund (TJPF), a nonprofit supporting the Virginia school, entered into agreements with Chinese organizations, including the Ameson Foundation and Tsinghua University, both linked to the CCP and Chinese military.

• $3.6 million was paid to TJPF by Chinese entities seeking to clone the top U.S. STEM school.

• 20 STEM schools were built in China, modeled directly after Thomas Jefferson High School, down to its logo.

• The Ameson Foundation and Tsinghua University, both connected to the CCP, were involved in the partnership.

The deal allowed China to gain access to curriculum, lab equipment lists, and even sample student projects. The "Thomas Schools" in China boast that they combine “the finest in traditional Chinese culture” with the core values of TJHSST, America’s leading STEM high school. Incredibly, Geoffrey Jones, the first principal of TJHSST, is listed as a member of the Thomas Schools’ steering committee, which includes former CCP officials.

While Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), which operates TJHSST, claimed the nonprofit was separate from the school system, documents show otherwise. TJPF employees had access to FCPS email addresses and badges, and requests from the Chinese side were routed to FCPS employees, who handed over confidential materials. One internal email even described Chinese officials asking for a "How to Clone TJHSST Handbook" to replicate the school’s success.

• The Partnership Fund had office space in the school and close ties to FCPS staff.

• Requests for sensitive information, including student projects, were routinely fulfilled by the school.

The nonprofit’s lucrative relationship with Chinese entities raises questions about who benefited. In 2021, TJPF reported $311,980 in revenue, with $185,000 paid to its executive director, Aristia Glinka. The evidence suggests the fund's dealings were not as benign as FCPS claims.

This revelation has triggered alarm about the CCP’s growing influence over U.S. education. Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin expressed his concern, with a spokesperson stating, “The CCP’s efforts to infiltrate educational institutions in the U.S. are deeply disturbing.” Youngkin has vowed to investigate the relationship between TJPF and China.

The Biden-Harris administration has been silent on this matter, despite mounting evidence of China’s manipulation of American institutions. The CCP has a long history of using educational programs like Confucius Institutes to push propaganda within American schools while preventing similar U.S. programs in China.

• China’s infiltration of U.S. universities and high schools is part of a broader strategy to steal intellectual property and exert influence over America’s next generation of leaders.

• In July, the University of Maryland settled a $500,000 case with the Department of Justice over allegations it concealed Chinese money—just one of many instances of China’s strategic funding of American educational institutions.

As more details of this disturbing partnership come to light, the question remains: how much more has the Chinese Communist Party infiltrated U.S. education, and what has been the Biden administration’s role in allowing it?

This revelation must serve as a wake-up call for America. Our education system, which should serve as the backbone of innovation and progress, is being quietly undermined by foreign powers. The stakes could not be higher. As national security concerns grow, it’s time for Congress and local governments to take a hard look at foreign influence in American schools.

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