As artificial intelligence (AI) use in schools grows, state lawmakers and school districts are playing catch-up on AI policies. In Maryland, for example, AI usage policies for K-12 schools are all over the map, Democratic State Senator Katie Fry Hester said. In some school districts, she said, AI use is encouraged, while in others it is restricted.

Need for Guardrails

A survey by the Center for Democracy and Technology showed that a large majority of teachers reported using AI in their classroom during the 2024-2025 school year, while 86% of students said they’d used AI for either personal or educational purposes. Some states have made progress in laying the groundwork for AI policy in K-12. Ohio has set a July 1st deadline for every school district, community school, and STEM school to adopt an AI use policy.

The state model policy recommends that districts address student and staff uses, privacy, ethical use, teacher uses, vendor agreements, third-party AI tools, and student assessments. An Oklahoma law enacted last month requires AI tools to be age-appropriate and requires teachers to review anything AI produces before using it in the classroom. It also allows parents to opt their children out of using AI tools.

Concerns and Challenges

Justin Reich, an associate professor of digital media at MIT, said that uncertainty around AI should make policymakers cautious about declaring best practices too soon. Reich said states are trying to regulate classroom AI at a moment when the field is still so unstable. A guide for AI in 2026 is like writing a guide for aviation in 1905, before airlines, airports, or even commercial flight.

Lawmakers will need to be honest that what they propose now could be completely outdated in two years. The market for AI products in K-12 schools was worth around $391.2 million in 2024 and could rise to more than $9 billion by 2034, according to Market.us, a market research company.

Original reporting: Clark County Today (Vancouver WA) — read the source article.