Mr. McCrory and Mr. Sanchez,

I am writing to express my organization's support of HBA 6359 An Act Concerning the Teaching of Civics, Digital Citizenship and Media Literacy in Public Schools.

I represent approximately 850 certified school librarians across the State who support learners of all ages evaluating information and using it in a safe and responsible manner.

School librarians and libraries provide scholarly resources, evaluation tools, and digital citizenship lessons through direct instruction and collaboration with classroom teachers. Our National Standards (AASL Framework for students) are not yet adopted in Connecticut but address the need for students to become curators of information and gather all points of view before forming their own opinion.  The Standards also address the ethical use of information and how to work together in support of a common goal with respect and inclusion.

My hope is that HBA 6359 moves forward and that districts across Connecticut realize that the resources they need to make this a reality are already within their school buildings.

Please feel free to reach out if you have questions.

Regards,