Bill > HB1249

This bill establishes the "Media Literacy and Critical Thinking Act" in Missouri. It creates a two-year pilot program to be implemented in 5-7 school districts to study the impact of teaching media literacy and critical thinking skills in the classroom. The program will focus on developing students' abilities to access, analyze, evaluate, and participate with various media, recognize bias and stereotypes, and practice digital citizenship and internet safety. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education will report on the outcomes of the pilot program and provide recommendations for implementing media literacy and critical thinking standards statewide. The bill also creates a dedicated fund to support the pilot program.