Illinois board of education releases guidelines for artificial intelligence use in schools

Illinois board of education releases guidelines for artificial intelligence use in schools

Published 12:52 pm Saturday, July 11, 2026

SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois State Board of Education released comprehensive guidelines Thursday to help local school districts navigate the implementation of artificial intelligence across elementary and secondary classrooms.

The state regulatory framework was developed to fulfill a legislative mandate under Public Act 104 0399. The resulting guidance creates a flexible operational roadmap for local administrators rather than establishing rigid statewide mandates or top-down classroom requirements. State policy experts, technology advisors, and public educators collaborated to form the recommendations, keeping human instruction and student data privacy at the center of the initiative.

State Superintendent of Education Dr. Tony Sanders emphasized that the state agency views the technology as an instructional supplement rather than an automated alternative to classroom teachers.

“This guidance makes clear that AI is a tool to support teaching and learning, not a replacement for the relationships that ground teaching and learning,” Sanders said. “Our responsibility is to help schools navigate new technologies in a way that strengthens instruction, protects students, and builds trust for informed AI use between districts and the families and communities they serve.”

The regulatory framework rests on four cornerstone tenets: prioritizing human relationships in education, honoring the academic and civic purposes of public schools, treating artificial intelligence as a supportive teaching mechanism rather than an end goal, and maintaining local board oversight.

The publication provides actionable resources, sample templates, and case studies to assist regional administrators. The documents cover essential operational topics, including methods for using digital platforms to enrich student engagement, the development of age-appropriate digital citizenship lessons, and the management of strict data security measures to remain compliant with state and federal student privacy laws.

The state board also highlighted the importance of addressable ethics in technology, urging districts to look closely at bias mitigation, equity, and platform accessibility before purchasing software packages. State Senator Doris Turner, a Springfield Democrat, noted that the core focus of the program is ensuring parents can trust that the technology introduced to their children does not compromise personal privacy or online safety.

To assist with long-term integration, the state education board plans to roll out customized, role-specific toolkits tailored for specialized school personnel throughout the 2026 to 2027 academic year. The agency will also offer free professional development classes and training seminars to help regional faculties smoothly transition into tech-assisted teaching environments.