Florida approves AI classroom rules requiring parental consent, new student safeguards

Florida education officials have approved new statewide rules governing how artificial intelligence can be used in K-12 public schools and state colleges. The policies are intended to expand AI use while adding new safeguards for students, parents and educators. Parental consent is at the core The Florida Board of Education unanimously approved rules Wednesday requiring school districts and state colleges to adopt policies governing the use of artificial intelligence in classrooms. For K-12 schools, districts must notify parents before students use AI tools and obtain parental consent. If parents decline, districts must provide a comparable non-AI instructional alternative. Districts have until July 1, 2027, to implement the policies for the 2027-28 school year. The rules also prohibit AI from being used to meet students' social or emotional needs, simulate emotional relationships with students, or use features designed to encourage ongoing interaction. AI tools also may not engage in undisclosed behavior monitoring, social scoring or psychological profiling. Students will not be allowed to use AI without supervision, and teachers and administrators will be required to complete training on AI safety, risks and limitations. School personnel also must be able to immediately disable AI systems without assistance from vendors. For Florida's 28 state colleges, institutions must adopt AI policies that prohibit students from using AI on graded assignments or assessments unless an instructor explicitly authorizes it. What's changing? The rules establish statewide standards for AI use in classrooms while giving school districts and colleges responsibility for developing local policies that comply with the state's requirements. Districts also will be required to conduct additional reviews before approving AI instructional tools for students in PreK through fifth grade. Schools are directed to prioritize vendors that store student data within the United States and prohibit companies from selling, monetizing or using student information to train commercial AI models. The Board of Education approved the rules Wednesday during a meeting at Polk State College in Winter Haven. School districts now have until July 1, 2027, to adopt compliant AI policies ahead of the 2027-28 school year. Florida College System institutions must also establish AI policies under the new requirements, though the rule does not specify a separate implementation deadline. Florida joins a growing number of states establishing formal guidelines for artificial intelligence in education as AI tools become increasingly common in classrooms. Rather than restricting the technology outright, the rules seek to balance classroom innovation with student privacy, academic integrity and parental oversight. The policies also reflect growing concerns nationwide about AI's role in student learning, data security and the appropriate limits of automated technologies in education. ‘AI is an enhancement’ Education Commissioner Henry Mack said the state is trying to stay ahead of rapidly evolving technology. "Artificial intelligence is already in the classroom, and the rules before you today are about keeping Florida in front, rather than reacting." Mack emphasized that AI should complement — not replace — teaching. "AI is an enhancement. It's a supplement. It doesn't supplant. It's complimentary." He also said the state is taking a measured approach rather than embracing or rejecting the technology outright. "We are exercising the virtue of prudence here. We are neither going to one extreme, i.e. banning AI, nor are we going to the other extreme, which is unfettered access, so there's real value in what we're presenting today."