WEMTA Legislative : Federal Right to Read Act Introduced

U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) and U.S. Representative Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) have introduced the federal Right to Read Act (H.R. 9056 and S.5064).

TL:DR:

the Act defines effective school libraries to mean ones that are staffed by at least one full-time certified school librarian;
creates a Right to Read for students;
requires states and school districts to affirm the first amendment rights of school libraries;
requires the federal government to collect data on school libraries;
expands certain ESEA grant activities to include digital and information literacy activities
requires ESEA state plans to ensure equitable access to effective school libraries;
provides $500 million for literacy grants and $100 million for innovative approaches to literacy grants that could be used to support school libraries

If you want to go deep:

The Act does the following:

staffed by at least one full-time state-certified school librarian;
is otherwise adequately staffed to be open to students before, during and after the school day;
has a sufficient collection of curated up-to-date digital and print materials and technology, including openly licensed educational resources;
provides appropriate facilities for maintaining and providing equitable access to materials, technology, connectivity, and library and literacy instruction;
provides regular professional development for teachers, school librarians, and other educators;
provides opportunities for collaboration between classroom teachers and school librarians, and
implements nationally recognized standards of practice

Requires the National Center for Education Statistics to annually collect data on school libraries, including:

the number and percentage of elementary and secondary schools that employ at least one full-time state-certified school librarian
the number and percentage of schools that have a dedicated school library facility

Defines the "Right to Read" as "all students have access to linguistically and developmentally appropriate, evidence-based reading instruction; effective school libraries; family literacy support; culturally diverse and inclusive materials; reading materials in the home; and the freedom to choose reading materials."

Creates liability protections for school librarians and teachers related to the Right to Read

Requires state and local educational agencies to make assurances to the federal government that they understand the importance of the First Amendment protections in school libraries as centers for voluntary inquiry and the dissemination of information and ideas

Adds school librarians to the multidisciplinary teams required under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to review state plans

Adds requirements to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) that each state plan must:

describe how the state will work to ensure that low income children, minority children, children with disabilities, and English language learners are not disproportionally enrolled in schools that lack an effective school library
the measures that the state educational agency will use to evaluate and publicly report the progress with respect to ensuring access to an effective school library
how the state educational agency will provide assistance to local educational agencies and individual schools in supporting digital literacy and information literacy skills development
include assurances that all teachers, school librarians and paraprofessionals working in a program supported with Elementary and Secondary Education Act funds meet applicable State certification and licensure requirements
include assurances that the state educational agency has a policy protecting the right to read

include school librarians in their development
describe how the local educational agency will support and improve effective school libraries by supporting the work of the State-certified school librarians to ensure that students have equitable access to such libraries
describe how the local educational agency will assist schools in developing effective school libraries to provide students an opportunity to develop digital literacy and information literacy skills and improve academic achievement
describe the policies the local education agency has in place to protect the right to read

requires states to work with the state library administrative agency in developing their application.
applications must also include a needs assessment that analyzes literacy needs across the state, including high quality print materials and effective school libraries
states could use up to 5% of grants funds received to carry out activities that include providing technical assistance to eligible entities in the development of effective school libraries, which could include the development of a statewide office

adds "increasing the number of state-certified school librarians supporting students in high need schools" to the list of eligible activities

supporting and improving effective school libraries that involve collaboration with state-certified school librarians
developing, improving and implementing mechanisms to assist local educational agencies and schools in effectively recruiting, hiring and retaining state-certified school librarians
providing training to school librarians, teachers and school leaders on how to leverage effective school libraries for academic achievement, digital literacy, information literacy, and student and family engagement

Updates criteria for state use of ESEA Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants funds to include:

supporting local educational agencies to offer well-rounded experiences to all students, including digital literacy and information literacy activities and programs, including those provided through an effective school library

Thursday, November 10, 2022