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Upon investigation, the Wicomico County Board of Education (WCBOE), the Superintendent, and its Curriculum Screening Council continue to fail in their screening process to determine appropriate instructional materials.

Books such as “Monday’s Not Coming,” “#MurderTrending,” and “Persepolis” are used or have been used in several Maryland schools, including Wicomico County Public Schools.

Parents from all over have shown great concern for their children reading these materials. Mothers from Loudoun County, VA read passages from “Monday’s Not Coming” and “#MurderTrending” at a school Board meeting, in which characters discussed oral sex, a sexual encounter in a classroom, and inappropriate content regarding a male friends genitalia.

The Delmarva Parent Teacher Coalition (DPTC) stated in an article:

“For starters, this is not about censorship or parents trying to dictate what a public school should or shouldn’t teach. This is about the Wicomico County Board of Education, its Administration, and its Curriculum Screening Committee ignoring existing school policies, procedures, state, and federal laws, which define the appropriate boundaries of teaching materials, books, and media used in the public schools (which they are clearly violating).  Although there may be varied views on this topic, personal opinion is irrelevant.”

The WCBOE’s Curriculum Council is responsible for screening curriculum, books, and teaching materials used by the school system.  This council is “packed” with board members, faculty, and administration and does not consist of parents.  As the DPTC claims, “they purposely want it that way.”

According to the WCPS Instructional Resource Review, the Curriculum Council may recommend to the Superintendent that a resource be approved for use within WCPS.  The resource is then presented at two successive Board meetings for 1st and final review. Interested members of the community may review and provide input on these resources, afterwhich the materials are either approved or denied.

During the public comments of a board meeting, audio recordings of the books’ passages were shared and citizens called on the school system to remove them from school libraries.  Following the public comments portion of the meeting, WC Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Donna Hanlin told community members the books had been removed from the libraries.

Updated – June 17, 2022

WCPS contains 24 schools and serves 15,203 students.