The Oklahoma Responsible Technology in Schools Act (SB 1734), which takes effect July 1, 2026, passed the state Senate 42-0 on March 23, 2026. The bill includes an emergency clause.
Annual disclosure and parent opt-out
The law requires each public school district to provide parents and guardians a written disclosure at least once per school year. The disclosure must identify all artificial intelligence tools in use, the vendors supplying them, the categories of student data collected, how much of that data is shared, and the educational purpose of each tool.
Parents may submit a written notice to opt their child out of student-facing AI tools at any time. The district may not penalize the student academically or deny access to core instructional content because of the opt-out.
The statute defines student-facing AI tools as those designed for students that provide AI-generated content, feedback, or assistance during an instructional activity. Classroom AI tools are defined as applications that support instruction, learning activities, assessment assistance, or educator workflows. The opt-out right is limited to student-facing tools.
Additional requirements for AI use
All classroom AI tools must be used under educator direction and with a human in the loop. AI may not be the primary basis for grading, discipline, placement, promotion, retention, or other high-stakes decisions. Student-facing AI must be age-appropriate and have a clearly defined educational purpose. Districts must ensure that the tools comply with FERPA and recognized industry security standards, and must take reasonable steps to minimize the student data shared with AI tools.
District policy adoption deadline
Before the start of the 2027-2028 school year, each district's school board must adopt a policy governing AI and emerging technologies. The policy must address oversight roles, appropriate and prohibited instructional uses, student data protection and minimization, transparency to students and families, periodic review and updates, and compliance with the statute and OSDE guidance.
OSDE model policy and additional notifications
The Oklahoma State Department of Education published a model policy in October 2026 that expands on the statutory requirements. It adds a requirement that families be notified within 30 days when new data-collecting AI tools are introduced during the school year. The model policy also says that districts will provide non-AI instructional alternatives for students who opt out. Districts must be in full compliance by the start of the 2027-2028 school year.
The model policy further requires vendors to comply with FERPA, COPPA, state law, and Oklahoma cybersecurity requirements. Districts must keep a current inventory of AI tools in use and minimize the amount of student data shared with those systems. In the event of a suspected or confirmed data breach, districts must follow their Data Incident Response Plan. The policy includes a provision that shields districts from liability for damages resulting from good-faith AI use.
A shift from voluntary to binding
Earlier OSDE guidance, issued in July 2025, treated transparency and parent notification as recommendations. That version said that parental consent was required for certain AI applications and that districts should publicly disclose AI tools, but it provided no statutory enforcement mechanism and no mandatory district policy deadline. The current statute converts these elements into legally binding requirements.
The OSDE's Version 2.0 guidance also included an AI Acceptable Use Rating Scale with five levels, from no AI use to full AI use with human oversight, each with specific disclosure requirements. The model policy carries forward this framework, though the scale is not codified in the statute.
The OSDE's Version 3.0 guidance, published in July 2026, incorporates the new statute and provides a compliance checklist for districts. The checklist includes approved and prohibited instructional uses, data protection and minimization, family transparency and annual notification, parent opt-out with non-penalization, educator oversight and human review, periodic policy review, incident handling procedures, and procurement and vendor vetting standards.
Implementation ahead
The statute directs the state education department to develop and make available guidance on responsible AI use. It also authorizes the State Board of Education to adopt rules for implementation. The OSDE has posted its revised model policy on its model policies page, noting that the office of legal services has reviewed each policy.