(a) Any organization that is a grant recipient pursuant to Section 54804 shall implement the literacy program described in this section in the 2019–20 and 2020–21 school years.

(b) A grant recipient shall provide the literacy program described in this section to public schoolage children who are eligible for free and reduced cost lunch.

(c) A grant recipient shall establish a student author program to provide the participants an opportunity to write, edit, and promote a short story or other forms of literature. A grant recipient should provide regular, sequential student author workshops that parallel or complement school calendars, such as quarterly, semester, or summer and vacation-intensive programs that include, but are not limited to, the following components:

(1) Writing and editing, including instruction in the skills necessary for creative writing.

(2) Publishing an anthology.

(3) Marketing, media, and community relations, including instruction in book brand development and entrepreneurship.

(4) Individual and group presentations.

(5) Community-based book signing events.

(d) Grant recipients are expected to implement programming that does all of the following:

(1) Fosters critical thinking in student authors.

(2) Teaches students to practice effective problem solving.

(3) Instructs students on creating an outline for their writing project.

(4) Teaches students to develop promotional and advertising tools.

(5) Provides students with an understanding of how to create a literary character and an engaging plot.

(e) A grant recipient shall collect and provide to the California State Library, on a reporting schedule set by the California State Library, any information sought by the library, including achieving the outcomes listed in Section 54801 and the reporting data described in Section 54803.

(Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 497, Sec. 75. (AB 991) Effective January 1, 2020.)