Harford County parents and teachers spoke out against the school board’s decision to ban an award-winning illustrated novel from its libraries.

The book, “Flamer,” by Mike Curato, was previously approved by district committees. However, parents said the school board voted to ban the book during a closed-door session in late June, after public appeals.

This is the first book to be removed by the district after it created a process to review books flagged by concerned parents.

The controversial graphic novel is about a teenage boy who “navigates friendships, deals with bullies, and spends time with Elias (a boy he can’t stop thinking about)” then “finds himself on a path of self-discovery and acceptance,” according to the author.

On Monday, dozens of people stood in front of the school board to show either support or displeasure with the book ban.

“This was the first formal appeal under the newly finalized book review procedure — a process nearly two years in the making, developed with input from staff, board members, and members of the public,” school board President Aaron Poynton said in a statement. “The decision we made will likely set a precedent for future challenges, and we recognize the importance of clarity.”

During the Board of Education meeting, Poynton referenced his statement, adding that the board had to make a binary decision to keep or remove the book. He hopes future decisions will allow for more flexibility, including recommending a book for specific age groups.

A parent filed a request for review of “Flamer” last fall, and it was reviewed by a Rreconsideration committee, per district process. In May, the committee gave the book the green light to stay in middle and high school libraries. The superintendent agreed with the decision. The author suggests the book for readers who are 14 years old or older. Common Sense, a nonprofit that evaluates media for age appropriateness suggested “Flamer” is appropriate for those 15 or older.

Ultimately, the parent appealed to the Board of Education, which voted 5-3 with one abstention to remove the book in June. The board member who abstained said she did so because she had not yet read the book.

Parent reactions

Some parents at Monday’s school board meeting said the book is not appropriate for children.

“It’s sexually explicit, and it has tons of vulgar language in it,” said Suzie Scott, chair of the Harford County chapter of Moms for Liberty, a conservative group.

“It’s just not the kind of thing that is appropriate for your average middle school or high school student,” she said.

Members of the advocacy group Together We Will-Harford County led a protest before the Harford County School Board meeting Monday.

In a statement, the group said the decision and process to ban the book “threatens student rights.” The group’s president said there are already existing supports and protections for parents who don’t want their child reading certain books.

“What we have is the Board of Education stepping in front of parents and telling them what they should or shouldn’t have their children read,” DeLane Lewis, the group’s president, said.

Dozens spoke out during the public comment period at the meeting.

Other parents and community members expressed their concern with “book banning” in schools, including some saying they were disappointed and embarrassed.

“This isn’t an attempt to protect students. It is an opportunity for you to stomp on the students who are already vulnerable,” Kurt Doan, president of the Upper Chesapeake Pride Foundation, said.

School board president defends the book ban

Poynton, the school board chair, defended the decision to ban “Flamer” from the schools in the district, saying the book is filled with “pervasively vulgar language.”

“If I were to read excerpts aloud during a Board meeting, I would be fined by the FCC,” Poynton said. “This language is not suitable for younger children in schools.”

Poynton continued to argue that the book would receive an “R” rating if it were in movie theaters, and it is not appropriate for designated grade levels of high school and middle school.

“The Board ultimately voted to remove the book, citing clear violations of HCPS’s selection procedure, which prohibits materials with obscene language, sexually explicit content, or depictions of illegal or violent acts inappropriate for the age group served,” Poynton said. “This was not about censorship. It was about age-appropriate access and upholding our duty of care.”

Other board members defended their votes, including newly elected Vice President Lauren Paige, who said she read the book and voted to remove it.

“The overwhelming and offensive and crude language and graphic sexual nature is inappropriate for students,” Paige said.

Carol Mueller said she has not read the book, but firmly stands against banning books, so she voted to keep it in school.

“I don’t know how people voted to be on a book that they didn’t read, what everybody who did read it, and the reconsideration committee and the professionals wanted to keep it,” Mueller said.

The meeting ended with some board members agreeing there is more work to be done on the book review process.

Suggestions to improve the process include providing more leeway to the board to make adjustments instead of binary decisions, and requiring more than a simple majority to ban a book.

State law for book removal

In 2024, the Maryland Freedom to Read Act created protocols for libraries in schools, including establishing a state policy and standards on how districts operate their library systems, requiring each district to develop policies to review objections to materials, prohibiting county boards of education from taking actions against a library program, and making certain funding for libraries contingent on adoption of written policies.

The law also states materials cannot be removed because of “partisan, ideological, or religious disapproval.” It also says a book cannot be removed because of the beliefs of the author.

WJZ is a media partner of The Baltimore Banner.