Maryland's 24 local school systems face an Oct. 22, 2026 deadline to adopt board-approved artificial intelligence policies and designate central-office AI coordinators, under the AI Ready Schools Act (SB 720) signed by Gov. Wes Moore in May 2026. The Maryland State Department of Education released its K-12 AI Guidance in June 2026, triggering a 120-day compliance window that ends Oct. 22. The guidance establishes eight critical elements that each local policy must address.
The mandate and its framework
The AI Ready Schools Act requires MSDE to provide AI guidance to local school systems, educators, parents, and students through an online platform promoting safe and ethical AI use. Each local school system must adopt an AI policy aligned with the state guidance within 120 days of its release and designate a coordinator employed at the central office level as noninstructional staff. MSDE's guidance covers human-centered student-focused use, equity and civil rights protections, data privacy and security, academic integrity and assessment, professional learning, AI literacy, operational oversight, and procurement governance.
District readiness varies
Before the statewide mandate took effect, local readiness was uneven. In June 2024, Anne Arundel County, Baltimore City, Baltimore County, and Howard County Public Schools did not have board-approved AI policies, while Carroll County already had standards stating that generative AI use was not allowed unless otherwise stated. Carroll County later revised its framework, standardizing Microsoft Copilot as the internal enterprise AI tool and requiring teacher review of all AI output. Worcester County Public Schools began developing its policy about two years before the state requirement, placing it ahead of the mandate. The Talbot County Board of Education passed Policy 9.18 unanimously, establishing that AI should complement rather than replace the human elements of education, including teacher decision-making, classroom relationships, and direct student learning experiences.
Cost and staffing implications
The fiscal note for SB 720 reports that Anne Arundel County, Frederick County, and St. Mary's County Public Schools anticipate costs to hire AI specialists to implement the bill. Baltimore City Public Schools indicated that its current director of virtual learning and instructional technology is leading AI efforts, but it is unclear whether the responsibilities can be absorbed by the existing position. Montgomery County Public Schools expects to need a new AI coordinator and significant cross-departmental effort to develop a policy within the 120-day window.
Evidence cited in the guidance
MSDE's guidance cites research to support its framework, including work by Holmes, Floridi, and Cowls on coordinated AI governance across education systems, and by Crawford and Reddy on data privacy and surveillance risks for minors. The guidance also aligns with federal guidance from the U.S. Department of Education on ethical AI adoption and on privacy and civil rights protections for algorithm-assisted decisions. These references inform the expectations for FERPA, COPPA, and civil rights compliance, though the guidance does not present independent evaluation data on outcomes.
Ongoing collaboration
The act establishes the Maryland AI Education Collaborative on Artificial Intelligence in K-12 Education, a body that must recommend by Jan. 1, 2027 a process for the State Board of Education to update content standards to address AI. The Collaborative is required to report findings and recommendations annually beginning Dec. 1, 2027. Its provisions terminate May 31, 2028.