Last month CLEL reached out to our members through email and an open meeting about a bill moving through Colorado’s Senate Education Committee that will affect public libraries tremendously; S.B. 22-004: – Evidence-based Training in Science of Reading. This Thursday, February 10, the Colorado Legislative Education Committee is meeting to discuss SB22-004. We need you to make your voices heard.
There are some things you can do to voice your concerns:
- Testify remotely, in writing, or in person at the Colorado General Assembly
- Contact the bill sponsors: bob.rankin.senate@state.co.us jeff.bridges.senate@state.co.us Julie.mccluskie.house@state.co.us
- Share your thoughts on social media using #CLELActionAlert.
This bill is concerning in it’s over-reach of legislative power to mandate library collections, inexact language, and misunderstanding of how public libraries operate. In the bill:
- all “librarians” in public libraries are required to take “training” in the Science of Reading (SOR),
- all libraries are to include SOR materials in their collections, and
- all libraries are to include activities, updated monthly, that are “designed to improve reading competency in the areas of phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, reading fluency, including oral skills, and reading comprehension” for kindergarten through sixth grade, identified by the director of the board of trustees.
On the CLEL Advocacy page you will find:
- The CLEL Steering Committee Official Statement on SB22-004
- An Informational Guide with brief information on the the bill, a Science of Reading definition, points of concern, and resources
- ‘Making Your Voice Heard at the Colorado Legislature’ Guide from Colorado Common Cause
Please share this information to your administration, board, and other youth serving library staff. CLEL members have shared many of their concerns with us, now is the time to voice these concerns to your legislators!
