Massachusetts has made historic progress in bringing school libraries back onto the legislative agenda. Now we are at a pivotal moment.
Bill S.2865 / H.4207 — An Act Relative to School Library Standards, has advanced out of the Joint Committee on Education and is now before the Senate Ways & Means Committee. With enough legislative support, we can push this bill forward to the Senate and secure meaningful, statewide standards for school libraries.
Please join the Massachusetts School Library Association and send a message today to your state Senator and Representative, asking them to co-sponsor and endorse S.2865 and H.4207.
The School Library Standards legislation defines what an effective school library program should include: a Licensed School Library Teacher (LSLT), up-to-date, culturally responsive print and digital resources, equitable learning opportunities for all students, integration of information literacy competencies across K-12 learning, and alignment to MSLA and AASL National School Library Standards.
Importantly, these bills require no new funding. Instead, DESE will collect data, support districts, and provide the tools needed to ensure equitable access across the Commonwealth.
Ask your state Senator and Representative to co-sponsor and advance S.2865 / H.4207. Students cannot develop strong research, media literacy, and critical thinking skills without access to high-quality school library programs.
Please send your message today! With your help, we can secure the future of school libraries in Massachusetts.
If you live in Senate President Karen Spilka’s district (Framingham, Ashland, Holliston, Hopkinton, Natick, Medway), send a separate non-petitioner letter directly to [email protected]
You can learn more about the bills on this one-page flyer from MSLA describing S.2865 and H.4207, which includes salient points regarding this legislation as well as updated school library access data.
Along with updated school library access data on the flyer is a link to the new DESE/Media Literacy report, prepared by DESE and Media Literacy Now: Media Literacy in MA: A Landscape Plan and Policy Recommendations. Representatives from MSLA served on the Advisory Council. You will see many recommendations regarding the need and justification for equitable access for licensed school library teachers across the Commonwealth. This comes on the heels of the Policy Brief that MSLA developed on the impact of school librarians on students and the MA education ecosystem.
