Overview
- The board voted 5-2 to petition Harford Circuit Court after the state school board reinstated the graphic novel in secondary school libraries.
- Board counsel said the chance of success is under 20% and the district must prove the state ruling was arbitrary, unreasonable or illegal.
- The state action was the first reported intervention in a local dispute over student reading materials and called for more transparent reconsideration procedures in Harford.
- Harford’s June removal followed a closed 5-3 vote despite a review committee and the superintendent recommending the book remain available in middle and high schools.
- The board remained divided over local control and age appropriateness, with the student member casting a symbolic no vote and two elected members voting against the appeal.