Maryland’s Freedom to Read Act requires school systems to institute a process meant to prevent book bans.

But in the Baltimore area’s first test of the state’s law, a book still got banned — showing how empowered conservative parents remain.

The test case began with a Harford County parent calling in November 2024 for the removal of a young adult book from the school system’s middle and high school libraries.

The book at issue is “Flamer,” a graphic novel by Mike Curato, who wrote about his experience being bullied as a kid for being gay. One character in the book is inspired by his Harford County pen pal, he has said.

Following its new policy, the school district formed a committee of parents, students and school employees to review the book. They voted to keep it in libraries. However, the follow-up procedures that Harford also created as part of the new law allowed the parent to appeal that decision to the school board.

Behind closed doors in late June, board members sided with the parent, voting 5-3 to remove the book. Board President Aaron Poynton said the decision was based on what the district defines as age-appropriate material. The board followed an analysis process laid out not by the board, he added, but by school officials after community input.

“If they disagree with the board’s decision, they disagree with the procedures,” he said in an interview.

The Freedom to Read Act, signed by Gov. Wes Moore in April 2024, states that school libraries shouldn’t exclude books because of the author’s background or “because of a partisan, ideological or religious disapproval.” It requires each school system to create its own policy and procedures to review objections to library books.

The legislation came after the Carroll County’s Moms for Liberty chapter, a conservative parent group, challenged more than 50 school library books as inappropriate for students.

The nation is seeing a spike in book bans, especially in Republican-dominated states. Although Maryland is heavily Democratic, conservatives, in some cases backed by Republican funders, have won seats on nonpartisan school boards in the state’s more rural counties.

Harford County, roughly 30 miles northeast of Baltimore, is home to Republican local leaders, including its county executive, sheriff and five of its seven county councilmembers.

Its 10-member school board is partly elected and partly selected by the county executive.

Poynton, the president, is among the members selected by County Executive Bob Cassilly. Poynton previously served on the national leadership team of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican.

Poynton was one of the board members who voted to remove “Flamer.”

Booting the book from school libraries was a disappointment to Del. Dana Jones, an Anne Arundel County Democrat and author of the Freedom to Read Act.

“Unfortunately, the Harford County school board chose to ignore its own established, formal and carefully considered process, in favor of bending to the will of a small, but extremely vocal, minority hellbent on controlling what others may read,” Jones said in a statement.

Josh Michael, president of the state board of education, said Harford’s decision to remove the book has been appealed to the state board.

He said he could not comment pending that appeal.

Michael is executive director of the Sherman Family Foundation, an organization that is a financial supporter of The Banner.

This is the first time the state board is considering an appeal to a book ban since the passage of Freedom to Read.

It’s not common for the state board to interfere with local school boards’ decisions; however, Maryland regulations say the state can step in if a local board’s decision is deemed “arbitrary, unreasonable, or illegal.”

Harford created its review committee last year. It consists of one teacher, one administrator, one librarian, two parents, two community members and two high school students, according to the HCPS website.

The committee’s first request for reconsideration came last November for “Flamer.”

Curato said the plot is inspired by his experience growing up and that he based a character on a Harford County pen pal whom he credits with helping him through difficult childhood moments. He dedicated the novel to her.

“It feels awful to think of ‘Flamer’ being banned there because there’s a special spot in my heart for it,” Curato said in a social media post.

“Flamer,” a winner of several literary awards, references sexual acts, which has made it a popular target for book bans across the country.

Amy Streett, the parent who wanted it removed, said in the request for reconsideration that the book doesn’t meet community values and “plants seeds in the heads of children that are not only trying to find themselves but could also be experiencing mental health challenges.”

Streett hadn’t yet read the book entirely, the review committee reported. She could not be reached for comment.

The initial review committee voted unanimously to keep the book in high schools, and 8-1 to keep it in middle schools.

Committee notes state that while the book references sexual acts and includes sexual language, it is not pervasively vulgar or obscene. It also has quality reviews and won awards, they wrote.

Superintendent Sean Bulson supported the decision, but Streett appealed it to Harford’s school board.

In her appeal, Streett lists age-appropriateness and lack of parental oversight, and claimed that the educational value students might receive from the book does not outweigh the harm it could cause.

The author states on his website that the recommended reading age is 14 and older, or with adult supervision.

The majority of Harford board members agreed with Streett, who learned in July that the book would be removed from school libraries.

Poynton said in an interview that the decision was based on what the procedure outlines as age appropriateness.

The school system “failed to critically evaluate the book on its age appropriateness, its extensive profanity, sexual situations and demeaning observations of females,” the board’s letter to the parent stated.

Board members were most bothered by the book being in middle school — but didn’t have the option to remove it only from those libraries, Poynton said.

He added that he hopes to change the review and appeal process and look for other solutions, such as requiring parent permission for some controversial books.

Last month, dozens — including some of the review committee members — protested outside the school board’s Bel Air headquarters, angry about the board’s decision.

“To have all of our work disregarded is disillusioning, especially behind closed doors,” said Jennifer Ralston, a retired librarian of 32 years who spent a week serving on the reconsideration committee to evaluate “Flamer.”

Khiyali Pillalamarri, a 2021 Aberdeen High School graduate, brought a copy of the book and said it was a great read about the realities of bullying, puberty and relating to peers.

A few counter-protesters were there. Cristina Lanocha of Jarrettsville and Chuck Hicks of Fallston held signs that said “Make children innocent again” and “Giving porn and sex books to children is evil.”

“There may be messages in that book that may be helpful, but there are books that can be helpful without being sexually explicit,” Lanocha said.

One protester who taught in Harford schools for 18 years said she is concerned that some young people will feel as though they, too, aren’t welcome at the school.

“For the LGBTQ+ community, it’s not just a book, it’s a reflection of them,” said Chrystie Crawford-Smick, now president of the Harford County Education Association and a parent of a student at Harford County Public Schools.

About the Education Hub

This reporting is part of The Banner’s Education Hub, community-funded journalism that provides parents with resources they need to make decisions about how their children learn. Read more.