Support for book bans varies in Md. school board races
Colt Black is many things: a mortician, an emergency medical technician, a firefighter, a father, a husband and a candidate for the Frederick County Public School Board.
He’s also a self-professed First Amendment absolutist. So, when Black was asked about what material should be available to Frederick County students in their school libraries, his response followed suit. “I don’t support book bans,” he said.
Yet like many Maryland school board candidates, Black’s detailed views on the book issue are nuanced. In his vision for Frederick County Public Schools, any book, whether it be instructional or recreational, would be reviewed in committee and public hearings before making its way onto school shelves. “Books which contain extreme violence or are sexually explicit, which glorify these things with no academic value, should be removed,” Black said in response to a University of Maryland Local News Network questionnaire sent to all 109 school board candidates in the state. “All books, both instructional and library resources, should be reviewed by a committee and public comment accepted before allowing them or disallowing them in the educational setting.” Black’s support for such a process isn’t unique in his county, or Maryland at large.
Asked in a Local News Network survey if they favored book bans, 38 of the 74 candidates who responded to the LNN questionnaire said they favor a policy in which professionals are involved in making sure books are age-appropriate.
