November 15th, 2024 by WCBC Radio

PEN America, a nonprofit that tracks issues of free expression, says Maryland has tied ninth with South Carolina for the number of books banned during the last school year. Three Maryland school districts tossed out 64 books due to a new policy that bans titles with any sexually explicit content. Tasslyn Magnusson with PEN America says parents have always had questions about books for their children, but now the motive behind banning them is changing…

“There are people who don’t want to read the titles, submit large challenges – 20, 30, 40 books at a time – and it’s not about their child and their family. It’s all about the students, and it’s much more ideological and much more driven by political interests across the country.”