S-1428.1

SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5626

BySenate Early Learning & K-12 Education (originally sponsored by Senators Liias, Warnick, Hunt, Nobles, Pedersen, and C. Wilson)

AN ACT Relating to expanding and enhancing media literacy and digital citizenship in K-12 education; amending RCW 28A.300.840; adding a new section to chapter 28A.300 RCW; and providing an expiration date.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 28A.300 RCW to read as follows:

(1) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall establish a program for the purpose of expanding the capability of school districts to integrate media literacy and digital citizenship into given subject areas through teacher support. As part of this program, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall assemble a cadre of subject-area teachers who will work to help ensure media literacy is effectively integrated into their respective subject area under any revised state learning standards created by the office of the superintendent of public instruction under RCW 28A.655.070.

(2) The program created under this section must operate in a two-year cycle, under the following schedule:

(a) In year one, the purpose of the program will be to support a cadre of teachers in analyzing how the full range of media literacy skills fall within current state learning standards, including the identification of gaps in learning standards where media literacy skills are not addressed.

(b) In year two, the purpose of the program will be to support a cadre of teachers in becoming trainers on media literacy within their given subject area. These teachers shall develop and deliver professional development focused on the ways in which any revised state learning standards will affect teaching and learning within their given subject areas. The professional development must include instruction to other teachers and integrate feedback and suggestions in developing future training sessions.

(3) Teachers in the program created under this section will receive a stipend for their participation that may vary based on the role of the teacher in either developing and delivering professional development or participating in training sessions.

(4) Funds equivalent to the stipends issued under subsection (3) of this section may also be disbursed to school districts for the purpose of substitute teachers or other school district costs associated with a teacher's absence due to participation in the program.

(5) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall establish and publish criteria for participation in this program including, but not limited to, teacher qualifications, participation guidelines, and reimbursement procedures.

(6) The office of the superintendent of public instruction may adopt rules for the effective implementation of this section.

Sec. 2. RCW 28A.300.840 and 2021 c 301 s 6 are each amended to read as follows:

(1)(a) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall establish ((a grant program))grant programs for the purposes of supporting media literacy and digital citizenship ((through school district leadership teams))development and integration in school districts. The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall establish and publish criteria for the grant program, and may accept gifts, grants, or endowments from public or private sources for the grant program. The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall establish grants for the following purposes:

(b) A school district or educational service district that receives a grant under this section is not prohibited from receiving a grant in subsequent grant cycles.

(2)(a) For a school district to qualify for a grant under this subsection, the grant proposal must provide that the grantee create a district leadership team that develops a curriculum unit on media literacy or digital citizenship, or both, that may be integrated into one ((of the following areas:

(iii) Health))or more subject areas.

(b) School districts selected under the grant program are expected to evaluate the curriculum unit they develop under this subsection (2).

(c) In developing their curriculum unit, school districts selected under the grant program are encouraged to work with school district teacher-librarians or a school district library information technology program, if applicable.

(((3)))(d) The curriculum unit developed under this subsection must be made available as an open educational resource.

(4) The establishment of the grant ((program))programs under this section is subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose.

(((4) The curriculum unit developed under this section must be made available as an open educational resource.))

(5)(a) Up to 10 grants a year awarded under subsection (2) of this section must be for establishing media literacy professional learning communities with the purpose of sharing best practices in the subject of media literacy.

(b)(i) Grant recipients under this subsection (5) are required to develop an online presence for their community to model new strategies and to share ideas, challenges, and successful practices.

(ii) Grant recipients shall attend the group meetings created by the office of the superintendent of public instruction under (c) of this subsection (5).

(c) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall convene group meetings for the purpose of sharing best practices and strategies in media literacy education.

(d) Additional activities permitted for the use of these grants include, but are not limited to:

(i) Organizing teachers from across a school district to develop new instructional strategies and to share successful strategies;

(ii) Sharing successful practices across a group of school districts; and

(iii) Facilitating coordination between educational service districts and school districts to provide training.

(6)(a) At least one grant awarded under subsection (2) of this section in each award cycle must be for developing and using a curriculum that contains a focus on synthetic media as a major component.

(b) For the purposes of this subsection, "synthetic media" means an image, an audio recording, or a video recording of an individual's appearance, speech, or conduct that has been intentionally manipulated with the use of digital technology in a manner to create a realistic but false image, audio, or video.

(7) A school district or educational service district may partner with a nonprofit organization for the purpose of assisting in the administration of a grant awarded under this section. For a school district or educational service district to partner with a nonprofit for the purpose of assisting in the administration of a grant under this section, the intent to partner with a nonprofit must be included in the grant proposal.

(8) This section expires July 31, ((2031))2033.

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