SB 2787

89R15560 RAL-D
		By: Menéndez
  S.B. No. 2787
  A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
  AN ACT
  relating to digital citizenship and media literacy instruction in
  public schools and a public school policy regarding Internet
  safety.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Subchapter A, Chapter 28, Education Code, is
  amended by adding Section 28.00215 to read as follows:
         Sec. 28.00215.  DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP AND MEDIA LITERACY.  (a)
  In this section:
               (1)  "Cyberbullying" has the meaning assigned by
  Section 37.0832.
               (2)  "Curriculum materials" includes the curriculum,
  teacher training materials, and any other materials used in
  providing instruction.
               (3)  "Digital citizenship" means the standards of
  appropriate, responsible, and healthy online behavior, including
  the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, create, and act on all
  forms of digital communication.
         (b)  The State Board of Education by rule shall require each
  school district to incorporate instruction in digital citizenship
  into the district's curriculum, including information regarding
  the potential criminal consequences of cyberbullying, and require
  students enrolled in grades 6 through 12 to complete instruction in
  media literacy as part of the district's foundation curriculum
  under Section 28.002(a)(1).
         (c)  The State Board of Education shall adopt essential
  knowledge and skills for the instruction in digital citizenship
  that include instruction regarding the social, emotional, and
  physical effects of social media, including:
               (1)  the negative effects of social media on mental
  health, including addiction;
               (2)  the distribution of misinformation online;
               (3)  the ways in which social media can manipulate
  behavior;
               (4)  the permanency of material shared online;
               (5)  how to maintain online personal security;
               (6)  how to identify and report suspicious online
  behavior, including cyberbullying, predatory behavior, and human
  trafficking;
               (7)  how to identify credible sources of information,
  including by analyzing content created or modified by generative
  artificial intelligence technology; and
               (8)  how to engage in respectful discourse with people
  who have differing opinions.
         (d)  Before each school year, a school district shall:
               (1)  make all curriculum materials used in the
  district's digital citizenship and media literacy instruction
  available by posting the curriculum materials on the district's
  Internet website, if the district has an Internet website; and
               (2)  provide notice to a parent of each student
  enrolled in the district of the availability of the curriculum
  materials on the district's Internet website, if the district has
  an Internet website.
         SECTION 2.  Subchapter A, Chapter 38, Education Code, is
  amended by adding Section 38.0233 to read as follows:
         Sec. 38.0233.  INTERNET SAFETY POLICY.  (a)  The board of
  trustees of a school district or the governing body of an
  open-enrollment charter school shall adopt an Internet safety
  policy to protect a student accessing the Internet:
               (1)  on a district or school Internet network; or
               (2)  on a digital device provided to the student by the
  district or school.
         (b)  A policy adopted under this section must:
               (1)  limit student Internet access to age-appropriate
  materials;
               (2)  include measures to protect a student using
  e-mail, chat rooms, or other direct electronic communication;
               (3)  prohibit student access to information about
  illegal activities, including hacking;
               (4)  prohibit student access to websites, web
  applications, or software that collects, disseminates, or uses the
  student's personal information, including social media services,
  other than as directed by a teacher for instructional purposes; and
               (5)  provide an exception for a digital device, a web
  application, or software used as a reasonable accommodation or
  assistive technology in accordance with a student's individualized
  education program or plan created under Section 504, Rehabilitation
  Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. Section 794).
         (c)  The commissioner may adopt rules to implement this
  section, including rules regarding additional requirements for a
  policy adopted under this section.
         SECTION 3.  Section 28.002(z), Education Code, is repealed.
         SECTION 4.  (a) Section 28.00215, Education Code, as added
  by this Act, applies beginning with the 2026-2027 school year.
         (b)  Section 38.0233, Education Code, as added by this Act,
  applies beginning with the 2025-2026 school year.
         SECTION 5.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
  a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
  provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this
  Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
  Act takes effect September 1, 2025.