Bill Text: CA SB830 | 2017-2018 | Regular Session | Chaptered

California Senate Bill 830 (Prior Session Legislation)

Bill Title: Pupil instruction: media literacy: resources.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 6-1)

Status: (Passed) 2018-09-17 - Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 448, Statutes of 2018. [SB830 Detail]

Download: California-2017-SB830-Chaptered.html

Senate Bill No. 830

CHAPTER 448

An act to add Section 51206.4 to the Education Code, relating to pupil instruction.

[ Approved by Governor September 17, 2018. Filed with Secretary of State September 17, 2018. ]

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

SB 830, Dodd. Pupil instruction: media literacy: resources.

Existing law requires the adopted course of study for grades 1 to 6, inclusive, and for grades 7 to 12, inclusive, to offer courses in specified areas of study, including social sciences.

This bill would require, on or before July 1, 2019, the State Department of Education to make available to school districts on its Internet Web site a list of resources and instructional materials on media literacy, as defined, including media literacy professional development programs for teachers.

Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NO

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(1) The social implications of technological development are pervasive, and the reach and influence of digital media platforms will continue to expand.

(2) Nearly two-thirds of American adults use social networking Internet Web sites, and social media usage is ubiquitous among the youngest adults, with over 90 percent of young adults using social media.

(3) Two out of every three adults say fabricated news stories cause a great deal of confusion about the basic facts of current issues and events.

(4) A recent Stanford University study showed that 82 percent of middle school pupils struggled to distinguish advertisements from news stories.

(5) During the final, critical months of the 2016 presidential campaign, 20 top-performing false election stories from hoax Internet Web sites and hyperpartisan blogs generated 8,711,000 shares, reactions, and comments on social media; where, within the same time period, the 20 best-performing election stories from 19 major news Internet Web sites generated a total of 7,367,000 shares, reactions, and comments on Facebook.

(6) It is necessary to confront questions about the moral obligations and ethical standards regarding what appears on social media networks and digital platforms.

(7) Access to media literacy education for all pupils is a challenge, especially for underrepresented and economically disadvantaged communities.

(b) It is therefore the intent of the Legislature to ensure that young adults are prepared with media literacy skills necessary to safely, responsibly, and critically consume and use social media and other forms of media.

SEC. 2.

Section 51206.4 is added to the Education Code, to read:

51206.4.

(a) For purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings:

(1) “Digital citizenship” means a diverse set of skills related to current technology and social media, including the norms of appropriate, responsible, and healthy behavior.

(2) “Media literacy” means the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and use media and encompasses the foundational skills that lead to digital citizenship.

(b) On or before July 1, 2019, the department shall make available to school districts on its Internet Web site a list of resources and instructional materials on media literacy, including media literacy professional development programs for teachers.