Residents urge Howard County Board to preserve diversity, oppose book bans

Several community members used the board's public forum on March 27 to urge Howard County Public School System leaders to preserve diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and to resist external pressure to ban books or otherwise curtail materials used in classrooms and libraries.

Arinze Ifeuche, introduced himself as a resident of Oakland Mills and a representative of Dads for Diversity, and said the school system should “continue to support efforts to make all of our children feel welcome and included.” He described personal experiences of exclusion growing up in Alabama and framed cultural competency as a workforce and civic asset rather than a curricular luxury.

Paula Sebright, a parent and Howard County resident, compared contemporary efforts to restrict curriculum or books to historical censorship and urged the board to maintain its existing vetting processes. “We have an excellent process for vetting books in our school libraries and those used in our curriculum. This process must be allowed to continue without interference,” Sebright said. She cited national examples of book challenges and said local decisions should follow the established review procedures.

Rebecca Bell, a Howard County special educator, offered classroom-based testimony about inclusion and the day-to-day work of teachers. Bell recounted student projects and interactions that, she said, illustrate the value of diverse classroom experiences and urged the board to “honor and cherish this truth in every question you ask and in every decision you make.”

Speakers framed their remarks as appeals to preserve the system’s current review and adoption procedures rather than as requests to adopt new policy. Board members did not take any immediate policy votes during the public comment period; the forum is the regular venue for public input ahead of potential future agenda items.