The Harford County Board of Education decided Thursday to appeal the decision of the Maryland State Board of Education to reverse the board’s ruling to remove the book “Flamer” from school libraries.

The motion passed 5-2. Student member James McVicker III voted no, but his choice did not count. Elected member for District A, Denise Perry attended the meeting, but did not give a vote. Elected member for District E, Carol Bruce did not attend the meeting.

With the vote, the board will appeal to the Harford Circuit Court in an effort to overturn the state’s ruling, despite its counsel warning members of a low chance of success.

The board held a special virtual session Thursday after learning of the state’s decision last week. There was heated discussion between some board members regarding the book’s content and what they deemed to be the most important issue: whether the state should be allowed to interfere with local school board decisions.

Board Counsel Gregory Szoka stated the board had two options: They could ask the state board for a reconsideration by filing a motion and pointing out discrepancies or take an appeal to the Circuit Court of Harford County. Szoka said he believed there was a less than 20% chance of success if the board brought it to the circuit court.

“That’s the risk that’s always out there and so there’s nothing at this point that can change that,” he said, adding that the board needed to take action within 30 days of the state’s decision.

Elected member for District D, Melissa Hahn, appointed member Mark Korn and Vice President Lauren Paige, said it was an overstep for the state to reverse their decision.

“When the state board overrides a local decision, it sets a dangerous precedent. It sends the message that the voices of parents, teachers and community member don’t matter,” Paige said. “We exist for a reason. We know our communities.”

“The job of the Board of Education is to reflect the values of the community,” Korn said. “What’s the purpose of a county board of education if it’s going to be overridden by the state. Just have the state run it all.”

McVicker, whose vote was preferential, was not on the board when the original vote to remove the book “Flamer” was discussed. Speaking Thursday, he said the board had lost sight of the message of “hope and resilience” that the book portrayed. McVicker said he believes the book is suitable for high school students, but not middle schoolers.

“It provides a mirror and a message of survival that could be a genuine source for help for some people,” McVicker said of the book. He added that the board’s “exhaustive fight” for months has been pulling them away “]distracting from other issues that need attention. Elected member for District B, Wade Sewell, shared the same sentiment.

Korn pushed back on McVicker’s notion that the book isn’t pornographic, stating “if there ever was a book that should be removed for being not age appropriate, it’s this book.”

“The characterization of this as some book of redemption or caring about some child who is gender confused or has confusion about sexuality is just the most heinous misrepresentation of the fact,” he said.

Board president Aaron Poynton said the state has certain rights to overturn things, but it should be “very narrow.” He said the board was in uncharted territory since it was the first time the state had stepped in to decide what’s appropriate for students to read.

“I believe that only parents should be able to determine what material their students have access that’s not designed for their age group,” Poynton said.

Within the state’s decision to overturn the school board’s ruling, the Maryland State Department of Education recommended that the school board revise its book evaluation procedure to “ensure transparency, provide notice and opportunity for community participation and future reconsideration matters.”

According to Poynton, the reconsideration procedure has been revised and included more opt out options and increased transparency.

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