On May 27, Colorado Governor Jared S. Polis signed a new law that requires the Department of Education to revise reading, writing and civics standards to include the media literacy knowledge and skills that students in K-12 schools should acquire.

The effort was led by Rep. Lisa Cutter and Rep Barbara McLachlan. This bill implements the recommendations of a Media Literacy Advisory Committee that was convened and funded by legislation sponsored by Rep. Lisa Cutter and Sen. Brittany Pettersen in 2019.

The law also requires the department to create and maintain a bank of media literacy classroom materials and resources, including those recommended by the committee, and to provide school districts with technical assistance to implement media literacy policies and best practices.

Read more about the debate and MLN’s role in local newspaper The Pueblo Chieftan.