A Harford County judge ordered a banned graphic novel returned to school library shelves Oct. 23, marking the first court test of a statewide law that also governs book challenges in Montgomery County Public Schools.
Harford County Circuit Judge Yolanda Curtin ruled from the bench after a hearing, upholding a 2025 state Board of Education decision that the Harford County Board of Education was wrong to remove "Flamer" from school libraries, Maryland Matters reported.
The case was the first legal test of the Freedom to Read Act, a 2024 Maryland law that bars schools from removing library materials "because of partisan, ideological, or religious disapproval." The law applies to every public school system in the state, including MCPS.
"Flamer," by Mike Curato, is a semi-autobiographical graphic novel about a boy at summer camp before high school who is struggling with his sexuality, his faith, bullying and thoughts of suicide.
How the dispute unfolded
A Harford County parent filed a complaint in November 2024 asking that the book be removed. The parent said she had not read the book in its entirety but was concerned it did not "meet the values of the community," according to state board documents.
Under the Freedom to Read Act, Harford County had created a nine-member review committee of parents, students, teachers, a librarian and a curriculum specialist. That committee met in March 2025, read the entire book and voted unanimously to keep it in high school libraries. The county superintendent accepted the recommendation on May 15, 2025.
The parent appealed to the Harford County Board of Education. The board met privately and voted 5-3, with one abstention, on July 1, 2025, to override the committee and superintendent and pull "Flamer" from all school libraries. The board cited "pervasive vulgarity" and "absence of educational suitability."
The state Board of Education reversed that decision in a Nov. 4, 2025, opinion. The state board found no evidence that the local board's review committee process was flawed. Nothing in the record indicated local board members had even read the full book, the state board wrote.
The Harford board then challenged the state ruling in circuit court. That challenge failed with Curtin's Oct. 23 ruling.
Maryland Matters reported that a request for comment from the Harford Board of Education was not returned Oct. 23.
What it means for MCPS
The Freedom to Read Act requires every Maryland school system to follow specific procedures before removing library materials. Curtin's ruling reinforces that school boards cannot override trained review committees without evidence that the committee's process was improper.
Del. Dana Jones (D-Anne Arundel), the law's lead sponsor, said in a statement that the ruling shows the law is "doing exactly what it was intended to do: protecting our libraries, librarians, and the fundamental freedom to read."
Sonia Kumar, senior staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Maryland, which argued the case, called the ruling "a victory for the freedom to read," according to Maryland Matters.
MCPS already has a process for families to request reviews of library materials through a school administrator or the district's evaluation and selection department, according to responses in a Washington Family voter guide for the Nov. 3 Board of Education election. Whether MCPS has updated that process to fully comply with the Freedom to Read Act's requirements is not clear from public records.
Book access has surfaced as an issue in the Nov. 3 Montgomery County Board of Education races. Candidate Sally McCarthy told the voter guide that book selection "is appropriately the professional purview of library and school staff." Candidate Cassandra "Cassi" Sung said librarians "are trained professionals" and that removing books "shouldn't happen because a single community member objects."
The state Board of Education said in its November 2025 opinion that it is considering new regulations to require school systems to notify communities when a book is under review.
