Illinois state Rep. Laura Faver Dias has introduced a bill aimed at providing guidance for school districts considering the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in classrooms. The proposed legislation, known as HB 2503, would establish a task force dedicated to developing guidelines for the use of AI by students and teachers, while also mandating that school districts report their AI usage to the Illinois State Board of Education.
As a former high school teacher, Dias emphasizes the urgency for comprehensive guidance given the rapid advancement and accessibility of AI technologies in education. She stated, ‘We know we are behind the ball here, and [we’re] trying to negotiate and work to come up with a realistic time frame.’ The specifics of the guidelines are still being deliberated with the State Board of Education.
Illinois is following in the footsteps of several states that have already issued their own guidance on AI in classrooms. California and Oregon were among the first to launch initiatives in 2023, while other states including North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia have also introduced recommendations.
Bill Curtin, policy director at Teach Plus Illinois and a co-author of the bill, pointed out that the absence of guidance in Illinois does not prevent students from accessing AI technology. ‘Technology is always going to move faster than policy, and students are going to be immediate adopters of anything that seems exciting or new or useful,’ he explained.
Dias and Curtin are hopeful for legislative movement before May 23, which is the deadline for the Assembly’s third reading of House bills, aiming for a potential implementation date of July 1. However, they anticipate that the guidance from the State Board of Education may not be ready until the 2026-2027 school year. Dias remarked, ‘I think it’s important that districts have something to hang their hat on before we launch into a new school year, so that they can update their policies.’
While acknowledging concerns regarding plagiarism and ethical AI usage, Dias affirmed the need to embrace the advantageous learning opportunities AI provides. An Illinois teacher, who testified during a committee hearing, highlighted how students utilized AI to modernize a local poet’s work for deeper understanding. ‘When people think about AI or any new technology, [they] always kind of focus on what could go wrong or how it could be nefariously used,’ she added. ‘This technology isn’t going away, and so how can we embrace what it can provide us?’
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