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Committee advances bill to add media-literacy standards in schools after supporters cite mental-health and AI concerns
Summary
House Bill 1283, sponsored by Rep. Julie Mayberry, would direct Arkansas to incorporate media- and digital-literacy standards into K–12 library/media standards; the committee recommended a "do pass" after officials from the Department of Education and school librarians described implementation options and limits.
The House Education Committee voted to recommend a "do pass" on House Bill 1283, which would direct the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education to incorporate digital- and media-literacy standards into Arkansas' existing library/media standards.
Sponsor Rep. Julie Mayberry told the committee the bill seeks to give students tools to evaluate online information, understand digital privacy and identify deep fakes and other manipulated content. "In the era of AI, students need skills to access online information, identify credible sources, protect their digital presence, and make informed decisions to navigate the digital landscape responsibly," Mayberry said in opening remarks.
School librarians and faculty testified in support. Ashley Cooksey, representing school librarians, said librarians and classroom teachers already cover some of the competencies but that the bill would make explicit, competency-based standards statewide and allow content to be embedded across grade levels and subject areas. "We worked together with a small group of school librarians across the state...to add language to ensure that these standards would benefit our students with things that we were already doing," Cooksey told the panel.
The Department of Education recommended some flexibility in implementation: Jacob Levy, speaking for DESE, noted that standards should be age-appropriate and that some elements of news literacy may be more appropriate in middle and high school than at kindergarten. He also urged the committee and sponsors to avoid being overly prescriptive about curriculum or vendor-specific approaches.
Committee members raised concerns about parental choice and whether all materials should be required for kindergarten. Several members and witnesses suggested prioritizing middle and high school for the more complex topics while embedding elementary competencies at an age-appropriate level. Sponsor Mayberry said she was open to amendments to address those concerns and to make definitions more precise.
After discussion the committee moved the bill forward. Testimony emphasized that a statewide set of standards would allow DESE and local educators to create age-appropriate curricula and that the bill would not mandate specific curricula but instead set standards for curricula. Committee supporters cited examples of how instruction on media literacy can be tied to math or English lessons (interpreting charts and checking sources) and noted connections with student safety and mental health in the digital age.
