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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | March 18, 2024 10:49 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Rosemary M. Brown |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Computer Science and Social Media Security in Schools |
| Computing and computer science has become a fundamental part of everyday life, commerce, and just about every occupation in our modern economy. Data shows that exposure to computer science as part of a school curriculum leads to more students pursuing a career in computer science. Pennsylvania alone has on average over 15,000 open jobs in the computer science field every month. It is essential that students be exposed to the field of computer science in our K-12 educational system, as it is foundational in transforming the way a student thinks about the world. Computer science puts students on the path toward some of the highest paying, fastest growing jobs in America. In the near future I will be introducing legislation to require the Pennsylvania Department of Education to develop and publish a plan for expanding access to computer science, which should include social media security training in K-12 education. Approximately 28 states have developed statewide plans outlining how the state will increase access to computer science education. The plan will be a roadmap to address policy and implementation issues to integrate computer science into our K-12 school curriculums. The plan should articulate the policy goals for expanding access to computer science education, strategies for accomplishing the goals and timelines for implementing the strategy. The Department’s plan shall include recommendations to integrate social media education as part of a computer science curriculum. Basic knowledge of the tools, safeguards and necessary transparency associated with social media will help minimize the negative aspects of a student’s exposure to social media, and to protect against other online harms. Equitable access to K-12 computer science must be at the foundation of the state’s plan. Following the development and publishing of the plan, my legislation will ensure that every high school student in Pennsylvania has access to computer science as part of their school’s curriculum. Every student is capable of learning and leading in computer science. If we believe that it is a foundational subject that every student would benefit from learning, then it has become increasingly clear that we cannot leave those opportunities to chance. Please join me in sponsoring this important legislation. If you have any questions regarding this legislation, please contact Christine Zubeck in my office at 717-787-6123 or czubeck@pasen.gov. Thank you for your consideration. |
Introduced as SB1162