In Miami, a group of students was barred from competing in a "brain bowl"—an academic contest—because its racial makeup didn't match that of its home school. North Dade Middle School's team had five members of Asian descent, seven Hispanics, seven whites and 17 blacks. Nonetheless, the group failed to meet new district guidelines mandating that each team mirror exactly the ethnic breakdown of its school. Because North Dade's student body is 70 percent black, the team was ruled ineligible.

Lois Lindahl, district director for middle-senior instructional support and the woman who enforced the rule, told the Miami Herald that the guidelines exist to protect black students. "Eventually you have to take a position," she said. "Most of all, it's not fair to the children in the school who did not have the opportunity [to make the team]."

A reconfigured team with six extra black students was allowed to compete after three non-black participants resigned from the team in protest.

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