Assembly Bill A150

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                    150
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                                (PREFILED)
 
                              January 8, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by M. of A. ROSENTHAL, KELLES -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of
   A. SIMON -- read once and referred to the Committee on Education
 
 AN ACT to direct the commissioner of education to appoint a media liter-
   acy advisory committee to study the teaching of media literacy; and to
   amend the education law, in relation  to  creating  a  media  literacy
   advisory  committee  to annually review policy and procedures on media
   literacy
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. For purposes of this act, "media literacy" shall be consid-
 ered  a  broad term that encompasses consumption and production of media
 and digital products and is defined as the ability to  access,  analyze,
 evaluate,  act  and  create  with all forms of communication, and encom-
 passes the foundational skills of digital citizenship and internet safe-
 ty including the norms of appropriate,  responsible,  healthy  behavior,
 and cyberbullying prevention.
   §  2.  The  commissioner  of education, in cooperation with experts in
 media literacy, the board of regents of the university of the  state  of
 New  York,  and  stakeholders  including  educators  and  parents, shall
 appoint a media literacy advisory committee ("committee") to  conduct  a
 study on teaching of media literacy in schools.
   §  3. The committee shall make a report of its findings, including any
 recommendations for legislative action as  it  may  deem  necessary  and
 appropriate, best practices for instruction that provides guidance about
 thoughtful, safe, and strategic uses of online and other media resources
 and  education  on  how to apply critical thinking skills when consuming
 and producing media in any form. These recommendations  and  best  prac-
 tices may include, but are not limited to:
   (a) revisions to state education standards and the state instructional
 technology plan;

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD01340-01-5
 A. 150                              2
 
   (b)  revisions to policies and procedures on media literacy, including
 digital citizenship and internet safety;
   (c)  school  district processes necessary to develop customized school
 district policies and procedures on electronic  resources  and  internet
 safety that can be used within a school district technology plan;
   (d)  best  practices,  resources,  and models for instruction in media
 literacy;
   (e) best practices, resources, and models for instruction  of  digital
 citizenship,  including  media  literacy,  that  are  compliant with the
 federal universal service e-rate program administered by the schools and
 libraries division of the universal service administrative  company  and
 federal   mandates   established  in  the  federal  children's  internet
 protection act; and
   (f) strategies that will support school districts in local implementa-
 tion of the best practices and recommendations developed by the  commit-
 tee,  including  strategies  for  delivering professional development to
 educators and administrators.
   § 4. The report required by section three of this act shall be  deliv-
 ered  to  the  governor,  the  temporary president of the senate and the
 speaker of the assembly no later than one year after the effective  date
 of this act.
   §  5. The education law is amended by adding a new section 756 to read
 as follows:
   § 756. ANNUAL REVIEW OF MEDIA LITERACY POLICY AND PROCEDURES.  1.  FOR
 PURPOSES  OF  THIS SECTION, "MEDIA LITERACY" SHALL BE CONSIDERED A BROAD
 TERM THAT ENCOMPASSES CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION OF  MEDIA  AND  DIGITAL
 PRODUCTS AND IS DEFINED AS THE ABILITY TO ACCESS, ANALYZE, EVALUATE, ACT
 AND  CREATE WITH ALL FORMS OF COMMUNICATION, AND ENCOMPASSES THE FOUNDA-
 TIONAL SKILLS OF DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP AND INTERNET SAFETY  INCLUDING  THE
 NORMS  OF  APPROPRIATE, RESPONSIBLE, HEALTHY BEHAVIOR, AND CYBERBULLYING
 PREVENTION.
   2. BEGINNING IN THE TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-SIX--TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-SEVEN
 SCHOOL YEAR, A MEDIA LITERACY ADVISORY COMMITTEE SHALL BE CREATED WITHIN
 THE DEPARTMENT TO REVIEW AND AMEND THE POLICY AND  PROCEDURES  ON  MEDIA
 LITERACY.  THE  COMMITTEE,  IN  CONJUNCTION  WITH  NATIONAL OR STATEWIDE
 ORGANIZATIONS FOCUSED ON MEDIA LITERACY, SHALL:
   (A) INVOLVE A REPRESENTATION OF PARENTS OR GUARDIANS, TEACHERS, TEACH-
 ER LIBRARIANS, OTHER SCHOOL EMPLOYEES,  SCHOOL  ADMINISTRATORS,  PUPILS,
 AND  COMMUNITY  REPRESENTATIVES  WITH  EXPERIENCE  OR EXPERTISE IN MEDIA
 LITERACY ISSUES;
   (B) CONSIDER CUSTOMIZING THE MODEL POLICY AND PROCEDURES ON ELECTRONIC
 RESOURCES;
   (C) CONSIDER EXISTING SCHOOL DISTRICT RESOURCES; AND
   (D) CONSIDER BEST PRACTICES, RESOURCES, AND MODELS FOR INSTRUCTION  IN
 MEDIA LITERACY, INCLUDING METHODS TO INVOLVE PARENTS.
   § 6. This act shall take effect immediately.