S-1428.1
SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5626
State of Washington 68th Legislature 2023 Regular Session
By Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education (originally sponsored by
Senators Liias, Warnick, Hunt, Nobles, Pedersen, and C. Wilson)
READ FIRST TIME 02/14/23.
1 AN ACT Relating to expanding and enhancing media literacy and
2 digital citizenship in K-12 education; amending RCW 28A.300.840;
3 adding a new section to chapter 28A.300 RCW; and providing an
4 expiration date.
5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
6 NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 28A.300
7 RCW to read as follows:
8 (1) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this
9 specific purpose, the office of the superintendent of public
10 instruction shall establish a program for the purpose of expanding
11 the capability of school districts to integrate media literacy and
12 digital citizenship into given subject areas through teacher support.
13 As part of this program, the office of the superintendent of public
14 instruction shall assemble a cadre of subject-area teachers who will
15 work to help ensure media literacy is effectively integrated into
16 their respective subject area under any revised state learning
17 standards created by the office of the superintendent of public
18 instruction under RCW 28A.655.070.
19 (2) The program created under this section must operate in a two-
20 year cycle, under the following schedule:
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 1 (a) In year one, the purpose of the program will be to support a
2 cadre of teachers in analyzing how the full range of media literacy
3 skills fall within current state learning standards, including the
4 identification of gaps in learning standards where media literacy
5 skills are not addressed.
6 (b) In year two, the purpose of the program will be to support a
7 cadre of teachers in becoming trainers on media literacy within their
8 given subject area. These teachers shall develop and deliver
9 professional development focused on the ways in which any revised
10 state learning standards will affect teaching and learning within
11 their given subject areas. The professional development must include
12 instruction to other teachers and integrate feedback and suggestions
13 in developing future training sessions.
14 (3) Teachers in the program created under this section will
15 receive a stipend for their participation that may vary based on the
16 role of the teacher in either developing and delivering professional
17 development or participating in training sessions.
18 (4) Funds equivalent to the stipends issued under subsection (3)
19 of this section may also be disbursed to school districts for the
20 purpose of substitute teachers or other school district costs
21 associated with a teacher's absence due to participation in the
22 program.
23 (5) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall
24 establish and publish criteria for participation in this program
25 including, but not limited to, teacher qualifications, participation
26 guidelines, and reimbursement procedures.
27 (6) The office of the superintendent of public instruction may
28 adopt rules for the effective implementation of this section.
29 Sec. 2. RCW 28A.300.840 and 2021 c 301 s 6 are each amended to
30 read as follows:
31 (1)(a) The office of the superintendent of public instruction
32 shall establish ((a grant program)) grant programs for the purposes
33 of supporting media literacy and digital citizenship ((through school
34 district leadership teams)) development and integration in school
35 districts. The office of the superintendent of public instruction
36 shall establish and publish criteria for the grant program, and may
37 accept gifts, grants, or endowments from public or private sources
38 for the grant program. The office of the superintendent of public
39 instruction shall establish grants for the following purposes:
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 1 (i) Supporting school districts in development of curriculum
2 through district-created leadership teams under subsection (2) of
3 this section; and
4 (ii) For school districts or educational service districts that
5 are supporting the integration of media literacy and digital
6 citizenship into subject areas under subsection (3) of this section.
7 (b) A school district or educational service district that
8 receives a grant under this section is not prohibited from receiving
9 a grant in subsequent grant cycles.
10 (2)(a) For a school district to qualify for a grant under this
11 subsection, the grant proposal must provide that the grantee create a
12 district leadership team that develops a curriculum unit on media
13 literacy or digital citizenship, or both, that may be integrated into
14 one ((of the following areas:
15 (i) Social studies;
16 (ii) English language arts; or
17 (iii) Health)) or more subject areas.
18 (b) School districts selected under the grant program are
19 expected to evaluate the curriculum unit they develop under this
20 subsection (2).
21 (c) In developing their curriculum unit, school districts
22 selected under the grant program are encouraged to work with school
23 district teacher-librarians or a school district library information
24 technology program, if applicable.
25 (((3))) (d) The curriculum unit developed under this subsection
26 must be made available as an open educational resource.
27 (3) Grants awarded under this subsection (3) may be awarded to
28 school districts or educational service districts for the following
29 purposes:
30 (a) Developing strategies to utilize existing funding in
31 integrating media literacy into various subject areas;
32 (b) Organizing learning sessions with experts in the field of
33 media literacy and digital citizenship;
34 (c) Professional development on issues of media literacy
35 including, but not limited to, on any revised state learning
36 standards created by the office of the superintendent of public
37 instruction under RCW 28A.655.070 that include media literacy. The
38 professional development may include training for district leaders,
39 administrative staff, instructional staff, or any combination
40 thereof;
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 1 (d) Ongoing support to school districts in considering actions to
2 ensure successful implementation of any revised state learning
3 standards under RCW 28A.655.070 that include the areas of either
4 media literacy, digital citizenship, or both; and
5 (e) Acquiring resources on media literacy instruction and
6 integration.
7 (4) The establishment of the grant ((program)) programs under
8 this section is subject to the availability of amounts appropriated
9 for this specific purpose.
10 (((4) The curriculum unit developed under this section must be
11 made available as an open educational resource.))
12 (5)(a) Up to 10 grants a year awarded under subsection (2) of
13 this section must be for establishing media literacy professional
14 learning communities with the purpose of sharing best practices in
15 the subject of media literacy.
16 (b)(i) Grant recipients under this subsection (5) are required to
17 develop an online presence for their community to model new
18 strategies and to share ideas, challenges, and successful practices.
19 (ii) Grant recipients shall attend the group meetings created by
20 the office of the superintendent of public instruction under (c) of
21 this subsection (5).
22 (c) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall
23 convene group meetings for the purpose of sharing best practices and
24 strategies in media literacy education.
25 (d) Additional activities permitted for the use of these grants
26 include, but are not limited to:
27 (i) Organizing teachers from across a school district to develop
28 new instructional strategies and to share successful strategies;
29 (ii) Sharing successful practices across a group of school
30 districts; and
31 (iii) Facilitating coordination between educational service
32 districts and school districts to provide training.
33 (6)(a) At least one grant awarded under subsection (2) of this
34 section in each award cycle must be for developing and using a
35 curriculum that contains a focus on synthetic media as a major
36 component.
37 (b) For the purposes of this subsection, "synthetic media" means
38 an image, an audio recording, or a video recording of an individual's
39 appearance, speech, or conduct that has been intentionally
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 1 manipulated with the use of digital technology in a manner to create
2 a realistic but false image, audio, or video.
3 (7) A school district or educational service district may partner
4 with a nonprofit organization for the purpose of assisting in the
5 administration of a grant awarded under this section. For a school
6 district or educational service district to partner with a nonprofit
7 for the purpose of assisting in the administration of a grant under
8 this section, the intent to partner with a nonprofit must be included
9 in the grant proposal.
10 (8) This section expires July 31, ((2031)) 2033.
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Statutes affected:
Substitute Bill: 28A.300.840