SB 195 — AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO MEDIA LITERACY.

McBride DELAWARE& STATESen. SENATE 151st GENERAL ASSEMBLY SENATE AMENDMENT NO.

1Sturgeon TO& SENATESen. BILL NO.

195Lockman AMEND& SenateRep. Bill No.

195Heffernan on& lineRep. 39 by deleting "School districts and charter schools" after "(2)" and before "may" and inserting in lieu thereof "The Delaware State Librarian and school districts and charter schools, including certified school librarians,".

SYNOPSISK. This Amendment adds the Delaware State Librarian and certified school librarians as people the Department of Education may consult for technical expertise regarding the media literacy standards required under Senate Bill No.

195.Williams & Rep.

Dorsey Walker Sens.

Hansen, Townsend, Walsh;

Reps.

Baumbach, Kowalko, Morrison, Shupe, Wilson-Anton DELAWARE STATE SENATE 151st GENERAL ASSEMBLY SENATE BILL NO.

195 AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO MEDIA LITERACY.

WHEREAS, the social implications of technological development are pervasive, and the reach and influence of digital media platforms will continue to expand;

and WHEREAS, the spread of misinformation poses a clear risk to democracy;

and WHEREAS, most students in the United States are not learning skills to discern the quality of online information, how to make informed, reasoned decisions about how to use the information and tools at their disposal, or the ethics of those decisions;

and WHEREAS, during the COVID-19 pandemic, students have been relying on devices and online learning more than ever, highlighting the urgent need to equip students with information about cyber safety and digital citizenship;

and WHEREAS, a recent Stanford University report showed that 96% of high school students surveyed lacked the skills to judge the reliability of information online, and two-thirds were unable to tell the difference between news stories and ads;

and WHEREAS, the same study found that 91% of teachers believe digital citizenship is effective in helping students make smart, safe, and ethical decisions online;

and WHEREAS, media literacy skills are necessary to safely, responsibly, and critically consume and use social media and other forms of media;

and WHEREAS, there are organizations that have a primary purpose of providing education about media literacy, including Media Literacy Now, ISTE, The Center for Media Literacy, the National Association for Media Literacy Education, the American Association of School Librarians, and the News Literacy Project;

and WHEREAS, the Delaware Department of Education currently does not have standards that address comprehensive media literacy education in K-12 public schools;

and WHEREAS, media literacy can be incorporated into existing curricula standards;

and WHEREAS, standards-aligned media literacy curricula is needed to guarantee the vitality of American democracy and students’ ability to engage in civic life;

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06/23/2021 01:10 PM WHEREAS, greater investment and development of media literacy education is needed to prepare students to make informed civic decisions that affect them, their families, their communities, and their world.

NOW, THEREFORE:

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE:

Section 1.

Amend Chapter 41, Title 14 of the Delaware Code by making deletions as shown by strike through and insertions as shown by underline as follows:

§ 4143.

Media Literacy.

(a) For purposes of this section:

(1) “Media Literacy” means the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, create, and take action with all forms of communication, and encompasses the foundational skills of digital citizenship and internet safety including the norms of appropriate, responsible, ethical, and healthy behavior, and cyberbullying prevention.

(2) “Digital Citizenship” means the diverse set of skills related to current technology and social media including the norms of appropriate, responsible, and healthy behavior.

(b)(1) The Department of Education (Department) shall adopt evidence-based, media literacy standards (standards) for use by each school district and charter school serving students in 1 or more of the grades kindergarten through 12.

(2) School districts and charter schools may provide technical expertise to the Department regarding the standards.

(c) The standards and instructional materials must be age-appropriate and must address appropriate, responsible, and healthy online behavior, including all of the following:

(1) The purpose and acceptable use of different social media platforms.

(2) Understanding the negative impact of inappropriate technology use, including online bullying and harassment, hacking, intentional virus setting, invasion of privacy, and piracy of software, music, video, and other media.