Krishnan asks about digital health and literacy curriculum for youngest grades

You spoke about for AI, the long-form modules and also the shorter modules for students who don't have AI in front of them.

But digital literacy and digital health, right, is really important.

In general, and it's important to start teaching that long before a kid sees a computer.

Is there, as part of the curriculum, or are there modules to teach digital health?

and well-being before you even give a kid an iPad or a computer?

Yes, we have a digital literacy curriculum.

Randy Asher spoke to it a little bit more.

I don't know if you want to ask additional questions or if he wants to come up, I'll defer to you on how much deeper you want to go into that.

I think for us now, we are focusing these modules on our high schoolers because we have in our policy them having some access to the ability to use these tools and we did not apply a screen limit for 9 to 12.

So for this year and in this moment, our focus is on our 9 to 12s.

But Tanisha's team and Randy's team have some digital literacy and the AI modules in development for some of our younger grades as well.

And we know that even what I've learned from meeting with Ms.

Vaccaro and Ms.

Weingarten in part of our feedback process is that they too have some great resources to lean into.

And additionally, we met with Senator Gonzalez and Councilmember De La Rosa.

Like, there's a lot that we can pull together for our younger students, but for right now in the launch of this policy, that's why we're speaking specifically to 9 to 12.

We'd be happy to answer any specific questions, but we do have a digital literacy program that spans the grade levels.

It gives kids experience and exposure to concepts that they just need to be familiar with when interacting in a digital environment.

Some of the very things we're concerned about, like bias, inappropriate content, things like that.

Is part of that process is explaining to students how to be in a safe environment, how to avoid or respond to cyberbullying, on why you should not put personally identifiable information into open programs.

So it's about informing students on how to use tools appropriately.

When to use those tools, under what supervision they should or could use those tools, and it's about general information on practices that are expanding throughout everything they do, touch, and see.

And as the students get older, it becomes more and more important as they're interacting with higher levels and more sophisticated levels of digital technology, whether in their career tech pathway or other.

Yeah, and it's true, you don't need to reinvent the wheel.

U of T, AFT, and other nonprofits have great resources.

Is this a requirement even in our youngest grades, kindergarten, first, second grade, before they even touch a screen?

Is this being implemented?

Well, it's kind of hard to do without the screen, but it is a requirement.

I'm sorry.

Remember D.A.R.E.?

Remember that?

Yes.

Or like, you know, I didn't have to do drugs to like learn about drugs.

could learn about it, but to actually see, touch, and experience some of the simulations, it becomes an important component.

I'm saying you don't need to.

What I'm asking is, can you teach these skills?

Yes, and we do, but as the kids get older, it gets more complex.

And I think one of the things that's important to know is...

And as they get older, they have screen time.

Yes.

And so what I'm suggesting and asking is in the youngest...

No, they're not our schools to do this.

Right, in the youngest grades, right, those kindergarten, first, second grade.

Do we have curriculum?

And, of course, as always, supports for the teachers to teach the safety and the literacy they need long before they get an iPad thrown in front of them.

Does that exist?

We have some of that that was done before this screen restriction that now will be modified based on new policy.

So we wouldn't teach it in a digital environment now.

And will that be mandated or recommended?

It's mandated that we do this for part of our Children's Internet Protection Act compliance.

It's part of the entire...

Understanding of how to interact in an academic setting.

Including for the youngest grades?

We do some exposure to it in the youngest grades, but it's very surface level because they're just not old enough to engage at the deeper level of content.

Right.

I think that this involves a much deeper conversation because I think the point is kids are interacting with screens much younger, perhaps,

than third grade, which is when there's, according to your policy, supposed to be starting.

But they need to learn.