As Artificial intelligence continues to evolve and skepticism about its use grows, state lawmakers across the country are preparing for its integration into public school systems. Growing disconcertion surrounding AI use in schools and students’ ability to have AI complete necessary coursework in their place has prompted state lawmakers nationwide to introduce legislation that creates an AI framework to address the many uncertainties posed by Artificial intelligence. States have established regulations that include data protection, Instructor/Administrator proficiency, and curricula that safely incorporate AI into public schools.

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North Carolina: Implementing Responsible AI Use in Schools

N.C. Senate Bill 864, “Safe and Responsible AI in Schools Act”, would illustrate the need for AI literacy and regulation within the K-12 public school system. Lawmakers created a four-pronged system that includes AI literacy in computer science, intended to address ethical and responsible issues in computer science-specific courses. The Second underscores School AI use policies, which develop a standard state AI model for the entire public-school curriculum. The third, an AI tool evaluation framework, provides an evolutionary approach to reviewing AI-based educational tools and can be updated biannually. The last, educator and administrator proficiency training partner with the Friday Institute of North Carolina State University, brings together experts and instructors to develop an online training program covering fundamental skills for teaching and grading with AI in the classroom. This bill currently sits in the Senate Rules and Operations Committee.

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Oklahoma: Emergency Bill to regulate AI tools in Public Education

Senate Bill 1734 highlighted the urgent need for states to develop AI education policies for their public school systems. Oklahoma introduced a bill that prohibits the use of AI in schools unless directed by a teacher and fully outlaws any AI tools used solely for grading, discipline, or student promotion. Moreover, every district is to adopt a written AI policy that addresses instructional uses, data security, and family transparency. Parental Transparency was a paramount theme in this bill, as it stresses that parents must know when AI will be implemented in the classroom. The governor approved this bill on May 5, 2026.

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Idaho: Alters Existing Law to Address Generative AI in Classrooms

This bill creates an all-encompassing AI in education framework that requires human oversight, which provides for instructor integration, data privacy protections, responsible student use, and accessibility and accommodations. It will serve as a foundation for all district policies and statewide standards regarding AI. Idaho will partner with experts and industry leaders to develop a generative AI policy and standards for K-12 education. An assessment will also be trialed with this bill to test a student’s AI proficiency, which has been a requirement. Moreover, the policy requires a parent to provide an AI outline to understand how AI works and how it will be integrated into their child’s life. Lastly, all AI software, tools, and applications are to comply with state and federal privacy laws. Senate Bill 1227 took effect on July 1, 2026.

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Mississippi: Creates Task Force to Address Artificial Intelligence in Education

Task Force Act”, meant to create a force of 12 members appointed by the Governor, Lt. Governor, and the Speaker of the House, and is chaired by the State Superintendent of Education. All members must have expertise in education, technology, AI, ethics, data privacy, and procurement. This force is responsible for R&D, including evaluating current AI applications in K-12 and assessing all known implications. Furthermore, the bill hopes to foster a relationship between education and the professional workforce to ensure AI readiness and proficiency. All findings are to be reported to the House and Senate Education chairs and the governor. Senate Bill 2429 died in committee.

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Virginia: Establishes guidelines for The Use of Artificial Intelligence in Instructional Settings

The state of Virginia established a consortium of agencies to develop and publicly release guidelines for the ethical, safe, and responsible use of AI in instructional settings through Senate Bill 394. This guidance is intended to address ethical use, transparency, and best practices to guard against bias and discrimination.  It allocates power to different divisions and administrations with insight into platform usage. A prohibition on sole AI decision-making was also added. Teachers are required to submit transcripts of student interactions with AI inside the classroom, and administrators must be able to monitor usage through dashboards, alerts, and audit logs. Additionally, AI vendors must sign a data privacy agreement prohibiting the use of student data to train external AI models. This bill allows for a pilot program to fund and evaluate frameworks for innovating the use of AI in instruction, tutoring, student engagement, and student support. Participation in these guidelines prioritizes impoverished, rural, and under-resourced school divisions, with each division including educator professional development. This bill was passed on April 13, 2026.

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