Maryland’s school board on Tuesday approved changes in state regulations to align with a law that prevents removing books from school libraries without due process.

The move adds another layer of protection for school library books in Maryland amid attempts by conservative activists to pull books they view as inappropriate. The change will go into effect after a regulatory review process.

Last year, state lawmakers passed the Freedom to Read Act. It prevents school and public library books from being removed because of an author’s background as well as partisan, ideological or religious disapproval.

Under the law, school systems are required to implement a policy that explains how members of the public can challenge a book they disapprove of. And school systems cannot remove a challenged book until after the review process is complete.

The law and state regulation do not cover classroom books or materials.

The Freedom to Read Act was a response to attempted book bans in public school districts, including in Carroll County, where a local Moms for Liberty chapter, a conservative parental rights group, campaigned to remove library books that it considered inappropriate. It resulted in the temporary removal of over 50 books. Some stayed off the shelves for good after a review process. Carroll’s school board also tightened its policy so that no textbooks or library books deemed sexually explicit could be available in the schools.

Parents and educators who opposed those moves argued that decisions about books should be left to the professionals — librarians.

Carroll County commissioners threatened to pull funding from its local library system because library staff advocated for the bill in Annapolis. The commission president even referred to the Freedom to Read Act as an anti-Carroll County bill.

Tuesday’s vote by the state school board was unanimous.

The proposed changes in the state regulation include updated definitions, examples of professional development available to school library staff, and the need for schools to have a certified librarian on staff.

Kimberly Cowles, the state’s educational program specialist for school library media, said at the meeting that she doesn’t see the Freedom to Read Act as something that’s for or against book bans.

“It just adds transparency to the whole process, so parents and teachers, or whoever has an objection to a book, that they know exactly what the process is,” she said.

Josh Michael, head of the state school board and the executive director of the Sherman Family Foundation, a financial supporter of The Banner, affirmed that although Maryland has a culture of local control when it comes to its school systems, it is important that the standards set by the state are upheld.

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.