Media literacy & civic ed.

AN ACT Relating to promoting student access to information about 1
media literacy and civic education; amending RCW 28A.230.094; and 2
creating a new section. 3
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:4
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. (1) The legislature finds that inadequate 5
media literacy skills and limited civic knowledge have become an 6
issue among the youth in Washington state, necessitating the 7
deployment of media literacy and civic engagement resources in 8
schools throughout the state.9
(2) The legislature further finds: 10
(a) Many high school and middle school students struggle to 11
distinguish between real news and fake news articles and do not 12
verify suspicious information; 13
(b) The spread of realistic images or videos of people that have 14
been altered to appear as somebody else, or "deepfakes," has fueled 15
harmful online misinformation campaigns; 16
(c) Media literacy training educates students on how to properly 17
distinguish between different news sources, information, bias, and 18
more; 19
(d) Media literacy promotes informed engagement with media 20
platforms and prevents polarization among community members;21
S-0970.1
SENATE BILL 5637
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2025 Regular Session
By Senator Fortunato
p. 1 SB 5637
(e) According to a survey of young adults nationwide by the 1
institute for citizens and scholars, 33 percent of respondents 2
indicated no intention to participate civically in 2024;3
(f) In 2022, only 46 percent of Americans could name all three 4
branches of government; and 5
(g) Civic engagement strengthens communities and supports 6
democracy, and civic education helps students develop critical 7
thinking and social skills that are vital to success.8
Sec. 2. RCW 28A.230.094 and 2020 c 208 s 9 are each amended to 9
read as follows: 10
(1)(a) ((Beginning with or before the 2020-21 school year, each )) 11
Each school district that operates a high school must provide a 12
mandatory one-half credit stand-alone course in civics for each high 13
school student. Except as provided by (c) of this subsection, civics 14
content and instruction embedded in other social studies courses do 15
not satisfy the requirements of this subsection. 16
(b) Credit awarded to students who complete the civics course 17
must be applied to course credit requirements in social studies that 18
are required for high school graduation. 19
(c) Civics content and instruction required by this section may 20
be embedded in social studies courses that offer students the 21
opportunity to earn both high school and postsecondary credit.22
(2) The content of the civics course must include, but is not 23
limited to: 24
(a) Federal, state, tribal, and local government organization and 25
procedures, including the three branches of government and the system 26
of checks and balances between them; 27
(b) Rights and responsibilities of citizens addressed in the 28
Washington state and United States Constitutions; 29
(c) Current issues addressed at each level of government;30
(d) Electoral issues, including elections, ballot measures, 31
initiatives, and referenda; 32
(e) The study and completion of the civics component of the 33
federally administered naturalization test required of persons 34
seeking to become naturalized United States citizens; and35
(f) The importance in a free society of living the basic values 36
and character traits specified in RCW 28A.150.211.37
(3) Beginning in the 2026-27 school year, the content of the 38
civics course must also include:39
p. 2 SB 5637
(a) The process of voter registration;1
(b) Media literacy, including how to engage critically with 2
online information and combat the digital spread of misinformation;3
(c) Tools and methods that individuals or groups may use to 4
initiate change in public policy and institutions and how such tools 5
may impact elections, policy, public opinion, and more; and6
(d) Factors that influence political participation, policy, and 7
representation, such as redistricting, gerrymandering, or 8
reapportionment.9
(4)(a) By September 1, 2020, the office of the superintendent of 10
public instruction, in collaboration with the Washington state 11
association of county auditors and a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization 12
engaged in voter outreach and increasing voter participation, shall 13
identify and make available civics materials and resources for use in 14
courses under this section. The materials and resources must be 15
posted on the office of the superintendent of public instruction's 16
website. 17
(b)(i) By September 1, 2025, the office of the superintendent of 18
public instruction, in collaboration with 501 (c)(3) nonprofits 19
engaged in media literacy education or civic education and 20
engagement, shall identify and make available materials and resources 21
for use in the content described in subsection (3) of this section, 22
including preexisting resources from the Washington open educational 23
resources hub. The materials and resources must be posted on the 24
office of the superintendent of public instruction's website and may 25
be used by school districts to modify their civics curriculum to meet 26
the requirements of this section.27
(ii) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall 28
review the materials and resources made available pursuant to this 29
subsection (4)(b) at least every five years to ensure students 30
continue to receive relevant media literacy education.31
(5) For the purposes of this section, "media literacy" means the 32
ability to decode media messages; assess the influence of media 33
messages on thoughts, feelings, and behaviors; and access, analyze, 34
evaluate, create, and act using all forms of communication.35
--- END ---
p. 3 SB 5637