Furious Parents call Lawyers over Daughter’s Spelling Bee Loss

Two Florida parents have called in lawyers after their daughter lost a regional spelling bee on what they claim was an unfair technicality.

The parents are demanding justice after their daughter, Amara Chepuri, lost the Tampa Bay regional spelling bee after misspelling a word they say was not on a predetermined list.

Ananth and Kavitha Chepuri say the result should be overturned and that Amara deserves a spot in the national competition.

Her father Ananth said: “She could have won. She’s one of the best spellers in Florida.”

Before the bee, Amara emailed her teacher Billie Jo Williams to clarify how the competition would handle ties and what words might be used.

She asked: “If by chance the list gets exhausted, will we have a tiebreaker?

“Also, if we do have a tiebreaker what words could be given?”

Ms Williams replied that the school had no tiebreaker plan but had an additional 150 words on hand “if we exhaust the list”.

The Chepuris interpreted this to mean the full published list would be used before introducing new words.

But during the bee, judges moved to the backup list after noticing the final spellers had memorised the main one.

Amara was then given the word “pallbearer” which she misspelt. Her opponent correctly spelt “equality” and was crowned champion.

The family said this contradicted the school’s prior assurance.

As they awaited a response to their formal appeal, the Chepuris entered Amara in another regional bee, a decision that soon backfired.

Scripps National Spelling Bee rules state that disqualified students may not compete through another regional or school.

But the Chepuris say Amara was never formally disqualified, only left in limbo after an unresolved appeal.

Her school, State College of Florida Collegiate, disputes this. Officials say they replied on January 29, clearly denying her appeal.

Kelly Monod, the school’s associate vice president, wrote: “All decisions were made as a team, were based on the rulebook and the conversations with Scripps before and following the school Bee… providing a fair environment and equal opportunity for participation for all students.”

Spokesperson Jamie Smith added: “Amara was not the winner and would not represent the school.

“The student didn’t spell the word correctly. That was the end of the process.”

After Amara won the second contest, a Scripps representative arrived to disqualify her based on the earlier outcome.

The Chepuris later met with school officials, hoping Amara might be recognised as a co-champion. No changes were made.

Ananth Chepuri claimed the teacher had not disclosed key information about how and when the alternate word list would be used.

He argued that, had all facts been known, Scripps might not have backed the school’s decision.

Corrie Loeffler, executive director of Scripps, called the situation “heartbreaking” and said the parents were right to advocate for their daughter.

But she added: “It’s also about sportsmanship, resiliency and the knowledge that preparation and luck play equal roles in the competition as in life.

“You might face a word you didn’t know, and it doesn’t end up your day.

“If we were just looking for the best speller in America, we would just give one spelling test.”