Harford County Board of Education Votes To Take Maryland State Board of Education To Court

State Overreach on the Removal of the Book Flamer Incites Legal Action From Local Board

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Last week the EASTON GAZETTE reported on the overreach by the Maryland State Board of Education as they overturned a decision by the Harford County Board of Education to remove the book FLAMER from county school libraries:

Maryland State BOE Abuses Power Again: Forces Local District To Keep Sexually Explicit Book On School Library Shelves – The Easton Gazette

On Thursday, November 13, 2025, the Harford County Board of Education had a special meeting to consider whether to appeal and sue the State Board of Education through the Circuit Court. Here is the audio of that meeting:

Nov 13, 2025 Special Board Meeting – Harford County Public Schools, MD

The Board voted 7-2 to appeal the decision via the Circuit Court.

This action would be more of what is seen as local pushback on the Maryland State Board of Education, an appointed board, by local elected boards.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

After research via Chatgpt, here is a description of the appointment process for State School Board Members:

🏛️ Appointment Process in Detail

• Total Membership: The Board consists of 14 members.
• Governor’s Role: The Governor appoints all members, but appointments must be confirmed by the Maryland Senate.
• Special Seats:
  • Teacher Member:
    • Must be a certified teacher actively teaching in Maryland.
    • Chosen through a statewide election among teachers.
    • The Governor appoints the teacher who received the highest number of votes, subject to Senate confirmation.
  • Parent Member:
    • Must be the parent of a student enrolled in a Maryland public school.
    • The Maryland PTA submits a list of three qualified individuals.
    • The Governor selects one from that list, with Senate confirmation.
  • Student Member:
    • Must be a regularly enrolled public high school student in good standing.
    • The Maryland Association of Student Councils nominates two students.
    • The Governor appoints one of them.
• Terms of Service:
  • Most members serve four-year terms.
  • The student member serves a one-year term.
• Recent Updates:
  • Legislation in 2025 added a school principal as a member of the Board, expanding its composition.

Of particular notice is the fact that the Governor appoints the members with the consent of the Senate. We have been told that many times this involves the Senators in certain districts nominating members for appointment. There are 47 Senators in Maryland, 34 Democrats and 13 Republicans. These appointments are clearly political in nature.

It is also interesting that the TEACHER member is selected by vote of teachers in the state via the Maryland State Department of Education. Often the Maryland State Education Association promotes certain candidates for that position.

Want to know who the members of the State Board of Education are? Go to this link:

Maryland State Board of Education Members and Staff

-Jan Greenhawk

The post Harford County Board of Education Votes To Take Maryland State Board of Education To Court appeared first on The Easton Gazette.