Maryland was back in the PEN America rankings of states for the number of books banned in schools last year, but one critic challenges the numbers. Photo by Getty Images.
Maryland schools banned 64 books in the 2023-24 school year, tied with South Carolina for ninth-most in the nation among 29 states ranked, according to a report released Friday by PEN America, which said book banning has grown since it started keeping track three years ago.
Maryland’s standing was due largely to Carroll County schools, which the report said banned 59 books last year under an updated policy from the county board of education that said instructional materials deemed “sexually explicit” will not be allowed in schools. According to the policy, “sexually explicit content is defined as unambiguously describing, depicting, showing, or writing about sex or sex acts in a detailed or graphic manner.”
Sabrina Baeta, one of the authors of the PEN America report and a book ban researcher, said in an interview that removing books from schools only hurts students, especially for those who may not have both parents in the home.