Florida is setting statewide requirements for how artificial intelligence can be used in K-12 schools.
The Board of Education voted Wednesday to require public school districts and charter schools to establish rules for AI use and include them in their internet safety policies.
The policies will have to address how students and teachers can use AI, as well as requirements for student safety and data protection. Public schools and charter schools have until July 1, 2027, to adopt and implement the policies.
What the rules require
Under the new rules, districts and charter schools will have to spell out how students can use AI instructional tools in the classroom. That could include an AI program students use for tutoring, practice or feedback, or a tool that helps them complete an assignment directed by a teacher.
Schools will also have to let parents and guardians know when an AI tool is approved for classroom use. That notice must explain which platform students will use, what grades and subjects it will be used for and how students will interact with it.
Maya Israel is head of Florida’s K-12 AI Education Task Force. She said the new rule also gives parents a say in whether their child directly uses the technology.
“They’re going to have to consider things like what are their processes for opting in, for curating the list of tools, for having those instructional alternatives for parents who want their children to not have access to AI, and so forth,” she said.
Under the rules, parents and guardians can opt their child in or out of directly interacting with an AI tool. Schools must also provide a non-AI alternative for students whose parents choose not to participate.
Robert Goodman is the Southeast Regional Director for Citizens Defending Freedom. He said AI should never come at the expense of parental rights.
“The parent, not the school, not a vendor, not an algorithm, should make the decision., AI can be a useful instruction tool, but it should remain a tool,” he said. “Innovation must never come at the expense of parental rights, transparency, or the proper role of teachers.”
AI tools used in pre-K through fifth grade will require additional review to determine whether they are age appropriate and aligned with Florida's academic standards.
The policies also must address academic integrity, including plagiarism, when students are permitted to use AI, how teachers can verify student work and when students may be required to demonstrate mastery without AI.
Layla Collins is a member of the State Board of Education. She said that she has some concerns about integrating AI into classrooms, including the dependency it creates on technology.
“We can't shut our kids off from technology, but I think we also need to be aware that it should be a supplement,” she said. “It should not replace learning good practices.”
Teachers and administrators will also have to receive training on AI risks, limitations, safety and compliance.
Student data and privacy
The rules include requirements for protecting student information. AI instructional tools cannot sell, monetize, profile or commercially exploit student data to train commercial AI models.
The state also says districts should prioritize vendors that keep student data stored and processed in the United States.
Schools must maintain records of students' interactions with AI instructional tools for at least 30 days. The records are intended to allow parents and school administrators to access student education records and review how the tools are being used.
Public and charter schools will also have to maintain a publicly accessible list of approved AI instructional tools and their AI policies. They must report the AI tools they use to the Florida Department of Education, including the grades and subjects involved and how frequently the tools are used.
Israel said most Florida school districts already have AI policies, but will need to update them to reflect the new requirements before the 2027 deadline.
“The main intent is to protect children from harm,” she said. “For school districts currently already working on AI policies, it means shifting those priorities to align with these rules.”
Limits on how AI can interact with students
The rules prohibit public and charter schools from adopting AI instructional tools designed or configured to meet a student's social or emotional needs.
They also can not use tools designed to simulate friendship, companionship or an emotional relationship with a student, or tools that use relationship-building features to encourage students to continue interacting with them.
The rules state that AI instructional tools should supplement, rather than replace, teachers' professional judgment.
Rules for Florida colleges
The board also approved requirements for Florida’s public colleges.
Florida College System institutions will have to adopt policies outlining when and how AI can be used by students, faculty and staff.
Kathryn Hebda is chancellor of the Division of Florida Colleges. She said the rules are intended to make sure students aren’t relying on AI to do the thinking for them.
“We want to make sure that students are not just passing classes, but are actually learning,” she said. “The rule is ethical, forward-looking regarding efficiency and potential, and clear-eyed in protecting students and ensuring students are in fact learning.”
The policies must address academic integrity, including prohibiting students from using AI on graded assignments or assessments unless their instructor specifically allows it.
Colleges will also have to identify approved AI tools, protect student privacy and intellectual property, and establish AI literacy guidelines to help students build skills they can use in school and their careers.
And if an enrolled minor will directly use an AI instructional tool, the college must notify their parents.
Full general overview of the policies
- Schools must notify parents when an AI instructional tool is approved, including what it does, which students will use it and how.
- Parents must opt their child in if the student will directly interact with the AI. Schools must offer a comparable non-AI alternative.
- AI tools used directly by younger students must undergo additional age-appropriate and standards-based review.
- AI cannot replace teachers’ professional judgment or parents’ role in their child’s education.
- AI must be accurate, transparent, viewpoint neutral, accessible and aligned with state standards.
- AI cannot secretly monitor behavior, assign social scores or psychologically profile students.
- Schools must set rules for when students can use AI, plagiarism, verifying student work and demonstrating mastery without AI when appropriate.
- Teachers and administrators must be trained on AI risks, limitations, safety and legal requirements.
- Schools must evaluate whether AI tools actually improve student learning and require vendors to disclose known limitations and available independent studies.
- Districts must maintain a publicly accessible, regularly updated list of approved AI tools.
- AI tools must keep records of student interactions for at least 30 days so parents can access education records.
- Districts must report their AI tools to the state, including grades, subjects, frequency and length of use.
- AI tools must follow student-data and third-party vendor requirements.
- Tools cannot sell, monetize, profile or commercially exploit student data to train commercial AI models. Districts must prioritize vendors keeping data in the U.S.
AI that schools cannot use
- AI designed to meet students’ social or emotional needs.
- AI that simulates friendship, companionship or emotional relationships.
- AI designed to encourage students to keep interacting through relationship-building or human-like features.
