Florida plans to put new statewide rules in place for how artificial intelligence can be used in public education, creating requirements that will affect classrooms from Voluntary Prekindergarten through Florida Colleges.
The Florida State Board of Education adopted the new rules on Sept. 16, establishing requirements for school districts, charter school boards, and Florida College System institutions that use AI and other educational technology.
“An educated person can use a powerful tool without becoming dependent on it. That is the line Florida is drawing,” said Florida Commissioner of Education Henry Mack in a statement. “AI belongs in a classroom when it sharpens instruction, elevates or enhances the learning experience, protects privacy, and leaves the student’s own mind stronger than it found it. It does not belong in a classroom when it writes the essay, scores the child in secret, offers itself as a companion, or coopts the intellectual virtue of critical thinking. We are preparing Floridians for an AI economy. We are not raising a generation that outsources judgment or rationality.”
The rules focus on transparency, student privacy, parental involvement, and the role of teachers as schools increasingly incorporate AI tools into education.
What Parents Need to Know
Under the new requirements, schools and colleges must establish policies explaining how AI and other educational technologies are being used.
For instructional AI tools, parents must be notified about which technology has been approved, the courses where it will be used, and how students will interact with it. Parents must also be given the option of allowing their child to use the AI tool or choosing a non-AI alternative.
Additional review will be required for AI tools used with students from VPK through fifth grade to determine whether the technology is appropriate for their age and developmental stage.
New Limits on How AI Can Be Used
The rules also establish restrictions on how AI systems can interact with students.
AI systems designed to function as companions or simulate emotional relationships with students will not be permitted. The rules also prohibit undisclosed behavior monitoring, social scoring, and psychological profiling.
The state is also placing restrictions on how student information can be handled by technology providers.
Protecting Student Information
Under the new framework, vendors will not be permitted to sell student data or use it to train agentic AI models.
The rules also establish expectations surrounding academic integrity and require reporting when an AI agent compromises a district’s data systems.
The requirements are intended to give schools and families clearer boundaries around the use of increasingly sophisticated AI tools in educational settings.
AI Training for Teachers
Florida is not removing AI from the classroom. Instead, the state is establishing a framework for using the technology while continuing to emphasize critical thinking and the role of educators.
The Florida Department of Education plans to update the state’s K-12 Computer Science student standards to address appropriate educational technology use.
Teacher professional development will also be part of the process, with districts expected to identify the training educators receive to help ensure technology supports classroom instruction.
What This Means for Florida Schools
The state will also update the Florida Digital Classrooms Plan, including new expectations for how districts evaluate educational technology.
Rather than simply looking at how frequently students use technology, districts will be expected to consider whether a particular tool is producing measurable educational benefits. Schools will also need to consider evidence of effectiveness when purchasing or renewing technology and examine whether its use is connected to student performance.
For families, the new framework means more information about AI tools being used in their children’s education, along with the option to choose a non-AI alternative for instructional AI tools.
For educators and school administrators, the rules create additional responsibilities involving technology policies, student privacy, technology evaluation and professional development.
The new requirements apply across Florida’s public education system, from VPK and K-12 schools through institutions in the Florida College System.
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