Board releases guidance for use of AI in Illinois classrooms
[July 11, 2026]
By Sean Reed | The Center Square
(The Center Square) – In the wake of new state laws regulating
artificial intelligence, the Illinois State Board of Education released
new guidance on how AI tools and technology should and shouldn’t be used
in the classroom and on campuses.
The guidance comes in response to a bill passed last year, requiring the
board to address growing concerns of AI being used without guardrails in
place.
State Rep. Laura Faver Dias, D-Grayslake, said her bill would require
the board to address concerns she and other lawmakers have heard from
teachers and schools across the state when discussing it in the House
last year.
“Artificial intelligence has quickly exploded into every facet of our
lives and every sector of our economy and society. Schools and
classrooms are no different,” Faver Dias said. “With AI technology
evolving far faster than educators have capacity to follow closely, many
are looking for guidance, both to leverage its benefits and avoid
potential harms.”
The new guidance spans more than 400 pages and provides examples of how
instructors can use AI tools to better their instructional material and
increase student engagement.
The document also provides specific examples of what teachers shouldn’t
do with AI, such as loosely written prompts to create rubrics and lesson
plans.
Separately, the document gives guidance on how schools could implement
new lessons about AI when working with students on technological
literacy.
An announcement from the board noted it is not mandating the use of AI
in classrooms, but rather providing ways for teachers and administrators
to address and properly use the technology.
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“The guidance does not create statewide mandates for classroom AI
use. Instead, the guidance is designed to help districts make
informed decisions based on local context, capacity, and community
priorities. It includes practical tools, model policy resources, and
case studies to support implementation,” read an ISBE news release.
The guidance also offers school administrators ways they could
effectively use the tools.
In the state Senate this year, another bill would have placed extra
requirements on school districts surrounding the use of AI, such as
the ban of using it for grading.
“What this does is it ensures that the use of AI is not haphazardly
applied in each classroom in a different way to the whims and
fancies of the individual educator, but rather is a policy that is
adopted by the school board for use in the school so that there is a
coherent policy,” Sen. Robert Martwick said of his proposal.
The law, called the Student Educational Technology Rights Act, would
have required school districts to create an AI policy banning its
use in grading, while providing a list of approved tools and
companies that can be used in instruction, either by teachers or
students.
He noted that the idea for the bill was brought to him by young
constituents who were concerned about the use of AI by students.
The bill passed the Senate but has yet to be taken up in the House,
though it could come back into play late this year during the fall
veto session.
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