Smith, a 16-year-old boy from Keokuk, passed the exam necessary to be admitted to high school. Despite Smith’s qualifications, the Board of Directors of the Keokuk School District refused to admit him. Smith and his family sued, alleging the Board rejected him because of his descent and skin color. The Board denied this, arguing that the school building was full, and they simply didn’t have room for any more students. They offered Smith instruction in a separate room or building within the district. The Board also stated that the district’s citizens didn’t approve of mixed-race schools. They argued that admitting Smith or another child of color would "destroy the harmony and impair the usefulness of the high school." Iowa Supreme Court Justice Chester C. Cole found that the Board refused Smith’s entry simply because he was a Black boy of African descent. Cole suggested that if Smith had been a white boy, he would’ve been permitted to attend the high school. Relying on Clark v. Board (1868), Justice Cole explained that a student couldn’t be excluded from a school or required to attend a separate school simply because of skin color. This ruling reaffirmed Clark v. Board (1868), yet Smith’s case was different. In Clark v. Board (1868), the School Board openly discriminated based on race. In this situation, the School Board pretended race wasn’t their reason for rejecting Smith, and yet racial discrimination was proven to be their true motivator. [241 words]