(LifeSiteNews) — A local Maryland school board is locked in a struggle with state education officials over its prerogative to decide what books don’t belong in its school libraries.
The College Fix reported that the Harford County Board of Education voted in June to ban the book Flamer by Mike Curato, an illustrated, semi-autobiographical story about a teen struggling with homosexual feelings that LifeSiteNews has previously reported “includes images of naked teenage boys and descriptions of genitals, sexual behavior, profanity, and derogatory terms.”
The book has been a subject of controversy across various schools and libraries since its release, with defenders arguing that, as the author himself says, it’s “about suicidal ideation and prevention (…) because I know that there are kids out there right now who are going through exactly what I went through.” But Harford board vice president Lauren Paige argues simply that “if something is too explicit to be read aloud in the classroom, it shouldn’t be sitting on a library shelf for minors. That’s not censorship, that’s responsibility.”
Last month, the Maryland State Board of Education got involved, voting to overturn the local board’s decision, which not only kept the original controversy over the book itself going but set off a new debate over state government overriding local decision-making.
“The job of the board of education is to reflect the values of the community. What’s the purpose of a county board of education if it’s going to be overridden by the state? Just have the state run it all,” board member Mark Korn objected. Board president Aaron Poynton added that the state’s move brought them into “uncharted territory,” and that “the state has certain rights to overturn things, but it should be very narrow.”
Most recently, on November 13, the Harford board voted to appeal the state’s decision in a special session, with Paige warning that “when the state board overrides a local decision, it sets a dangerous precedent.” Board attorney Greg Szoka said he is not optimistic the appeal will be successful, and believes the board should have filed a motion requesting reconsideration from the state instead.
The indoctrination of children with left-wing ideology on sexuality, race, and other agenda items has long been a major concern in American public schools, from libraries to drag events to classroom materials to even “transitioning” troubled children without parental input. Many schools have also displayed hostility to the rights and employment of individual teachers who refuse to go along with such agendas.
The Trump administration has taken steps to depoliticize public education, including by ordering the elimination of federal funds to schools that continue diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and by reversing the Biden administration’s infusion of gender ideology into Title IX rules.
In June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of parents opting their children out of school lessons featuring pro-LGBT indoctrination, over the objections of another Maryland school board, Montgomery County Public Schools.
