Establishes the Media Literacy and Critical Thinking Act

SECOND REGULAR SESSION
HOUSE BILL NO. 1792
103RD GENERAL ASSEMBL Y
INTRODUCED BY REPRESENT A TIVE MURPHY .
4544H.01I JOSEPH ENGLER, Chief Clerk
AN ACT
T o amend chapter 161, RSMo, by adding thereto one new section relating to a pilot program
for media literacy and critical thinking.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Chapter 161, RSMo, is amended by adding thereto one new section, to be
2 known as section 161.355, to read as follows:
161.355. 1. This section shall be known and may be cited as the "Media Literacy
2 and Critical Thinking Act".
3 2. As used in this section, "media literacy" means the following:
4 (1) An individual's ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and participate with all
5 forms of media, such as:
6 (a) News in print; and
7 (b) Social media content, such as images, text, video, and other media content;
8 (2) An individual's ability to r ecognize bias and ster eotypes in media messages;
9 (3) The foundational skills of digital citizenship and internet safety; and
10 (4) In the classro om, media literacy includes integrating the pro cess of critical
11 analysis of media messages into the daily classr oom curricula.
12 3. The department of elementary and secondary education shall establish the
13 "Media Literacy and Critical Thinking Pilot Pr ogram". Such pilot pr ogram shall be
14 implemented and administer ed during the 2027-28 and 2028-29 school years.
15 4. Under the media literacy and critical thinking pilot pr ogram, the department
16 of elementary and secondary education shall select five to seven diverse school districts
EXPLANA TION — Matter enclosed in bold-faced brackets [thus] in the above bill is not enacted and is
intended to be omitted from the law . Matter in bold-face type in the above bill is proposed language.
17 to participate in the pilot pr ogram and fro m which to study data relat ed to the outcomes
18 of the pilot prog ram in such school districts.
19 5. A pilot pr ogram site shall:
20 (1) Addr ess each component of media literacy;
21 (2) Develop successful strategies for student learning within the daily classr oom
22 curricula in all grades or for a selected prescho ol to grade twelve level;
23 (3) Identify high-quality r esources for such pilot pro gram; and
24 (4) Demonstrate and repo rt how such site addr esses the following in the
25 classr oom:
26 (a) News content literacy , which is the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and
27 distinguish verified information fr om opinion and propa ganda and the opportunity to
28 practice verification;
29 (b) V isual literacy , which is the ability to find, interpret , and evaluate images and
30 visual media such as photographs, videos, illustrations, drawings, maps, diagrams, and
31 advertisements;
32 (c) Digital fluency , which is the ability to understand and follow the norms of
33 safe and res ponsible technology use and how media influences attitudes and behaviors;
34 and
35 (d) Digital literacy , which is the ability to be technically fluent and able to make
36 informed decisions about content encounter ed online, rec ognize how networked
37 technology affects behavior and percep tion, and creat e and effectively communicate
38 with digital media tools.
39 6. The guidelines developed as a res ult of the study of the information gained
40 fr om the pilot prog ram shall pro vide students with the following information:
41 (1) The purpose and acceptable use of various social media platforms;
42 (2) Social media behavior that ensur es cybersafety , cybersecurity , and cyber
43 ethics;
44 (3) The potential negative consequences of failing to use various social media
45 platforms res ponsibly , such as cyberbullying;
46 (4) The ability to access, analyze, evaluate, crea te, and act on all forms of digital
47 and written communications;
48 (5) Digital ethics, etiquette, res pectful discourse with individuals who have
49 differing opinions, safety , security , digital footprints, and the identification of rhetoric
50 that incites violence;
51 (6) Cyberbullying preven tion and r esponse;
52 (7) The significance of algorithms;
53 (8) W ays to identify online misinformation;
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54 (9) A general knowledge of the economic structur e of the digital landscape; and
55 (10) The importance of the right to fr eedom of speech as contained in the Bill of
56 Rights of the Constitution of the United States including, but not limited to:
57 (a) The central role that the right to fre edom of speech has in the history of the
58 United States; and
59 (b) The applicability of pro tections for fr eedom of speech for online interaction
60 in school settings that the department of elementary and secondary education shall
61 pr ovide to school districts.
62 7. The guidelines developed as a res ult of the study of the information gained
63 fr om the pilot progra m shall pro vide school districts with samples of learning activities,
64 r esources , and training that pr omote critical thinking and the skills necessary to
65 evaluate all forms of media.
66 8. Befor e August 1, 2029, each pilot pr ogram site shall submit a rep ort to the
67 department of elementary and secondary education describing the implementation of
68 and the information gained fr om the pilot pr ogram.
69 9. Befor e January 1, 2030, the department of elementary and secondary
70 education shall compile the r eports submitted fr om the pilot prog ram sites and submit a
71 summary report to the general assembly containing at least the following information:
72 (1) Qualitative and quantitative insights on how the pilot pro gram sites
73 addr essed media literacy;
74 (2) A compendium of high-quality strategies and res our ces used by educators;
75 (3) Any profes sional development used or re quir ed;
76 (4) Recommendations about what facilities, instructional materials, and
77 technologies are needed to implement a media literacy and critical thinking pr ogram
78 statewide;
79 (5) Exploration of additional policies, administrative mechanisms, and legislative
80 r ecommendations for implementing best practices and standards statewide; and
81 (6) A draft of pro posed clear , inclusive media literacy and critical thinking state
82 standards for pr eschool to grade twelve, compiled by drawing fr om key media literacy
83 skills and competencies in existing state standards and fr om the pilot pr ogram r esults.
84 10. Standards developed under this section shall be included for consideration
85 by the department of elementary and secondary education during the state standards
86 r eview immediately following the termination of the pilot pr ogram.
87 1 1. The media literacy and critical thinking pilot prog ram shall terminate on
88 June 30, 2029.
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89 12. This section shall expir e on December 31, 2029.
✔
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