SOMERSET COUNTY, MD - Maryland's Office of the Inspector General for Education (OIGE) released two reports detailing concerns over recent action by the Somerset County Public Schools (SCPS) Board of Education (BOE).
OIGE released the first management alert report on school curriculum and board conduct on July 24. The report came just over a week after the BOE did not vote to approve an English Language Arts curriculum for the coming 25-26 school year.
An excerpt from the report details how failure to adopt the curriculum developed to abide by state standards puts $10,479,027 at risk.
OIGE is concerned that actions, or lack thereof, have placed SCPS, it's students and teacher in a tenuous position. The failure to make a curriculum decision before the August 30, 2025 grant deadline could jeopardize Somerset County's eligibility for one-time Read and Learn grant funding.
Inspector General Richard Henry told WBOC that his office reviewed the old ELA program in SCPS and found significant achievement gaps, scoring the existing curriculum a two on a scale of eight.
BOE Chairman Matthew Lankford provided OIGE with a list of 18 titles identified as "Notable Nobel Prize Winners and their Famous Works."
"He failed to include vetting standards and instructional guidelines," Inspector Henry said of the list. "Unfortunately, the chair's approach did not comply with the state or Code of Maryland Regulations, which require an evidence-based curriculum that aligns with federal and state standards."
In April 2025, the board voted to pass a policy to remove certain books from schools.
WBOC previously reported that revisions to board policy #500-19 would transfer the power to select and approve new books or digital materials from librarians to BOE members.
OIGE released a second report one day after the school curriculum and board conduct management alert. This report details possible legal discrepancies in the revised library media selection policy.
Randi Merritt retired from a decade-long career with SCPS at the end of the last school year. She also stepped down as the Somerset Education Association President, but said she remains involved with the teachers' union.
"I question their ability to make those decisions based on what books they don't want kids to read," Merritt said. "It shouldn't be their decision."
Merritt said the board is unwilling to work with SCPS Superintendent Dr. Ava Tasker-Mitchell on the library material selection policy or the ELA curriculum and that students bear the brunt of the indecision.
"They just need to let the teachers get in there and teach so we can bring up these scores and get these kids where they need to be so they're successful," she said.
The reports identified potential conflicts with the Code of Maryland Regulations, the state Freedom to Read Act and the First Amendment.
"The board selected removal of books for ideological or religious reasons might seem to be a constitutional violation," Inspector Henry said.
Officials from the Maryland Association of School Librarians (MASL) said they have been following the situation in Somerset County very closely, out of concern that the outcome there may have ripple effects in counties throughout the state.
"They're throwing up obstacles at every turn and how was the school system supposed to operate when you're doing that?" Jacob Gerding with MASL said. "The thing that really got me was they could lose $10 million in grant money ... it sounds to me like the board is putting a price tag on these kids, and apparently it's in the ballpark of $10 million."
The Inspector General told WBOC on Friday that the Maryland State Board of Education has scheduled two hearings regarding SCPS in the coming weeks - one on the removal of Chairman Lankford from the SCPS BOE and another appealing a previous attempt to fire Dr. Tasker-Mitchell.
"Unfortunately, for the students and the teachers, all this is planned to happen just before Somerset plans to resume school on September 2," Henry said.
The Inspector General said the State Board of Education and the Superintendent can intervene if the BOE does not take the appropriate action. Henry also told WBOC that both entities are aware of Somerset County's situation and are attempting to communicate with SCPS.
WBOC repeatedly requested comment from Chairman Lankford and SCPS. The district did not reply at this time, and Chairman Lankford maintained no comment.
