FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2026
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AI in Schools / Illinois

Statewide school AI guidance duty

Illinois requires the State Board of Education to develop statewide school AI guidance, including privacy, risk, accessibility, and student literacy. The duty falls on the state agency.

Illinois General Assembly · 105 ILCS 5/2-3.118a / P.A. 104-399

Enacted lawThe law took effect January 1, 2026. The guidance deadline is July 1, 2026.

Who and what it covers

The record covers the State Board of Education and State Superintendent. It concerns guidance for elementary and secondary districts and educators. This record does not establish a mandate for local AI adoption.

Policy provisions

  1. Local policy development · Education board

    The State Board must develop statewide AI guidance with stakeholders. [1]

  2. Local policy development · Education board

    The statute sets July 1, 2026 as the guidance publication deadline, with ongoing updates as the Board deems necessary. [1]

  3. Local policy development · State superintendent

    The Superintendent may convene a statewide advisory council. [1]

  4. Procedural history · Education board

    The current official code identifies January 1, 2026 as the effective date. [1]

What to check next

Review the official document and ask your district which local policy and approved-tool list apply.

Sources & Notes

The statute requires agency guidance, not AI use by every student or district. The statutory deadline alone does not establish whether the agency published the guidance on time.

  1. Illinois General Assembly - 105 ILCS 5/ School Code.

    Illinois General Assembly · 105 ILCS 5/2-3.118a(a) · Source checked October 6, 2026

    The State Board of Education, in consultation with stakeholders, shall develop statewide guidance for school districts …
    Evidence identity
    Text fingerprint (SHA-256)
    a4af51b38823c0aaa6a8ef64a3765272644b9f61462a66076fde4b73eb0222dc
    Representation
    Normalized text extracted from the retained official page
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    ilga.gov
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Document history

Effective January 1, 2026; guidance deadline July 1, 2026. This is the first source-checked version admitted to this file. We did not reconstruct earlier versions from amendment references or changed URLs.

Reviewed October 6, 2026 · Link to this verified version.

Cite this record

Formative Spaces, “Statewide school AI guidance duty | Illinois,” AI in Schools, release 2026-10-06-875e416b4116, reviewed October 6, 2026. https://www.formativespaces.com/topics/classroom-ai/records/illinois-ai-guidance-duty