Eugene Volokh has a followup on the Omaha "African-American" story.

I think the school principal has really done his minority students a disservice by suggesting that they need to be protected from challenges and "insensitivity." Wouldn't it have been better as a teaching moment to, say, have a debate between students over the issue? Is it really a benefit to darker skinned students to give special awards available only to them and not the whole student body. What are they to infer from that? What does it tell them about the First Amendment?

Some kids might conclude that this is a racist country and become bitter and angry. Some will decide that if their principal thinks they need this kind of protection, he must think they really aren't equal to the light skinned majority.