Baltimore Banner's Attempt to Create Chaos in Somerset County Over Local School Board Policy 500-19 Fails

The Baltimore Banner's Liz Bowie wrote an article titled, "An Eastern Shore School Board Wants 18-and-Over Rule for Young Adult Books", stating:

"But classics read by generations of teenagers that are now categorized as young-adult fiction might be off limits, including To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle, and Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, as well as the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling."

How do we know this statement is false, misleading, and willfully ignorant?

We know because: (1) the books she mentioned are not adult materials; (2) the books she mentioned have been read by students in grades 6–12 for generations; and (3) none of those books are mentioned in Somerset County School Board Policy 500-19. To the contrary, the policy references classical, time-tested, high-quality literary works that the Board wants students to read—precisely the type of books Ms. Bowie suggests would be banned.

We reached out to the Somerset County Board of Education's attorney, Ms. Schifanelli, Esq., who stated that Ms. Bowie's article is misleading and deliberately drafted to create chaos and division in Somerset County.

"Ms. Bowie is known for her left-leaning reporting, which is filled with falsehoods and political activism. Anyone who reads The Baltimore Banner should know this by now.

Board Policy 500-19 simply defines terms that everyone should already understand: A child is a person under the age of 18. An adult is a person 18 years of age or older.' Young adult' terminology is codified in COMAR and numerous Maryland statutes. Policy 500-19 follows Maryland law. Period.

The Board cannot make minors into adults.

Maryland juvenile, family, and criminal laws carefully distinguish minors from adults. In many instances, the General Assembly has specifically prohibited treating minors as adults, even when they commit criminal acts that could otherwise warrant adult prosecution.

Minors are not adults.

The School Board is mindful of the mental, emotional, and psychological development of minors, and conformity with other areas of Maryland law is essential.

The School Board cannot treat minors as adults and expose them to adult materials when their mental, psychological, behavioral, and emotional development may not be sufficient to comprehend such materials. That is why this policy carefully considers guidance from experts in the medical, behavioral, and psychological fields and complies with Maryland's juvenile and health standards for minors.

Young adults are individuals between the ages of 18 and 21 who attend the school system and fall within the local Board of Education's jurisdiction.

However, those are not 12-year-olds. That narrative is false and, at best, silly.

The Board of Education is solely responsible for determining what is educationally suitable and what literature conforms to the local community's standards regarding prurient material.

Lastly, I heard from some activists that the word 'prurient' is 'offensive and racist.'

The entire debate has been inflamed by rhetoric using terms like 'MAGA board' to smear the 87% of Somerset County residents who voted conservative.

I wouldn't pay attention to this meltdown, which has nothing to do with reality.

No books can be banned. Any books brought into or removed from the school system must be approved by the Board, as required by law.

Finally, Policy 500-19 conforms with two U.S. Supreme Court decisions in Board of Education, Island Trees Union Free School District No. 26 v. Pico, 457 U.S. 853 (1982) and Tamer Mahmoud, et al. v. Thomas W. Taylor, et al, docket: 24-297, 2025, allowing parents and locally elected school board officials to determine educational suitability and providing parents the opportunity to opt their children out of materials that violate their sincerely held religious beliefs.

In her reporting, Ms. Bowie also failed to mention that the Board approved the majority of the books proposed by the school librarians during the last budget session. This entire controversy has nothing to do with racism, burning books, or the controversy she is so desperately trying to create in Somerset County," said Ms. Schifanelli, Esq.

Fellows & Editors

July 10, 2026

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