Thomas Jefferson High School provided school layouts, photos of classrooms, and student research projects to China-affiliated entities in exchange for millions of dollars

Parents Defending Education submitted multiple public records requests to Fairfax County Public Schools seeking records regarding Thomas Jefferson High School’s relationship with the Chinese Communist Party. PDE received numerous documents and emails revealing a relationship in which China-affiliated entities such as the Ameson Education and Cultural Exchange Foundation, Tsinghua University, and Shirble Department Store Holdings China paid the school and its nonprofit arm the Thomas Jefferson Partnership Fund $3.6 million in exchange for intellectual property, professional development, and records so that similar schools could be created in China. PDE paid $17,815 for these requests.

The relationship between the school and China lasted for almost a decade. These agreements included providing China-affiliated entities with layouts of the school, in-depth photos of school labs, and research projects created by students. The following emails detail the relationship between the school and China as well as revealing information about the contracts that the school agreed to with the organizations.