Orange County Public Schools is beginning to map out how it will comply with Florida’s new internet safety policy, which now includes requirements for public schools governing the use of artificial intelligence in the classroom.
The State Board of Education adopted the policy in September. It includes 18 requirements for school districts, including parental consent for the direct use of AI instructional tools, additional reviews for younger students, mandatory employee training and rules on how student interactions with AI are stored and reported.
OCPS staff presented the rules to the school board during a work session Tuesday, outlining where the district's existing policies already align with them and where changes will be needed.
Maurice Draggon, OCPS’ chief information officer, said the district already has a foundation in place to meet many of the requirements.
“Our policy already addresses important elements such as human review, staff responsibility, approved tools, protected data, academic integrity, and professional learning,” Draggon said.
But he said the state rule adds requirements that will need new processes or changes to existing policy.
Those include parental choice, additional review of AI tools used in prekindergarten through fifth grade, record-keeping, reporting and new requirements for vendors.
The state rule takes effect July 1, 2027.
To opt or not to opt in
One of the biggest changes for OCPS involves how parents are notified when students will directly use certain AI instructional tools.
Under the rule, families must receive information in non-technical language about the tool, the grades and subjects where it will be used and how students will interact with it. Parents must then have the opportunity to affirmatively opt their children into the use of the tool.
If a parent does not opt in, the district must provide a comparable non-AI instructional alternative, like Khan Academy.
Draggon said direct use can include more than typing into a chatbot. Voice interactions, image generation and embedded AI feedback can also qualify.
OCPS currently has several district-reviewed tools that use generative AI, including Adobe Firefly, Conmigo and Google Gemini Notebook.
During the work session, board members expressed their concerns about how the opt-in requirement could affect teachers and the district’s workload.
Chair-elect Angie Gallo said the requirement could create more work for teachers if some students in a classroom are allowed to use an AI tool and others are not.
“What would be the time burden on the teacher if you have half of a class that's opted in, half of the class that has opted out? Now we're creating a lot more of a workload for the teacher,” she said. “So I guess the question would be: at this point, do we even want to have programs that are AI generative?”
Board Chair Teresa Jacobs also said she is worried that could create an uneven learning experience for students, depending on whether their parents opt them into the technology.
“Are we handicapping them, or are we handicapping the ones who do opt in?” she said. “No matter how I slice it, I feel like we were creating an unequal environment, and that has always bothered me.”
Additional costs
Orange County Public Schools could be facing additional costs as it works to comply with Florida’s new AI internet safety requirements, even as the district is cutting positions and looking for other ways to reduce spending.
The district is still figuring out how to comply with a requirement to keep at least 30 days of student interactions with AI instructional tools so those records can be retrieved through parent requests.
Chair-elect Gallo said she is concerned about whether OCPS has enough data storage capacity to keep those records and whether storing them could cost the district more money.
“So at a time when we're struggling for funding, we need to be careful with AI,” she said. “Whenever you rush something, there's always unintended consequences, and that's what makes me nervous about this current rule.”
District staff said they’re talking with vendors about how to retain and return the data, while also considering what it would cost to store and protect the information itself.
When asked if the requirement would cost the district more money, Draggon said, “depending on the scope.”
Gallo also said the district could end up paying for AI programs or vendors that aren’t being used if parents do not choose to opt in.
Board member Melissa Byrd said the district could also face additional staff time and administrative work to meet the new requirements.
She said those rules don’t apply in the same way to private schools and home-school students receiving taxpayer-funded vouchers.
“The additional accountability that is tied to our public schools is increasingly frustrating -- that we do not have these same rules in place for the schools that are accepting our public taxpayer-funded vouchers,” she said.
Weighing the benefits
Board members also said there are potential benefits fromn the new requirements.
Board member Stephanie Vanos said she appreciates that teacher training will now be mandatory, rather than simply available to staff. She said the broader training requirements are important and should also be extended to students.
The rule requires documented training for teachers and administrators on AI risks, limitations, safety and compliance. Staff will also have to understand how to verify parental consent, protect student data and preserve evidence of student learning.
Board member Alicia Farrant said she’s thankful the state has provided some direction for districts, particularly the requirement that AI cannot make decisions without human review.
“We could be waiting for a law to be passed, but we have some sort of direction from the state, so I am appreciative of that,” she said. “It helps to guide us and reminds at the local level that AI should not be what is actually teaching kids in the class.”
Other board members said they want the district to take its time developing its policy and that they “over-communicate” to parents and guardians to make sure they understand how AI tools will be used with their children.
Superintendent Maria Vazquez said she is meeting with the Florida Department of Education this week for more guidance on how the rule should be implemented.
