The Florida Department of Education has handed every school district a new assignment: revise internet safety rules so they explicitly cover artificial intelligence. The move is set to reshape how chatbots, generative programs and other AI tools can be used on district networks and in classrooms. To spell out what that looks like in practice, the State Board of Education has scheduled a rule development workshop on June 22 to start drafting statewide guidance.
What the department is changing
The change is tied to rule 6A‑1.0957, the School District Internet Safety Policy, and the department's rules page lists a June 22 workshop to review proposed language. According to the Florida Department of Education, the review is meant to clarify what counts as acceptable use of internet services, including expectations for data protection, vendor oversight and classroom access when AI tools are in the mix.
Why lawmakers' inaction matters
The directive from Tallahassee follows the Legislature's failure this spring to pass an "Artificial Intelligence Bill of Rights" that cleared the Senate but stalled in the House, leaving questions about parental control and state purchasing unresolved. As reported by WFSU/News Service of Florida, the Senate plan would have required parental consent for some AI chatbots and would have blocked state agencies from contracting with AI firms tied to certain foreign countries of concern.
Districts are already drafting policies
Local districts are not waiting for a final answer from the capital. Sarasota County Schools have released proposed "Artificial Intelligence Acceptable Use" language that folds AI guidance into the district's internet safety policy and restricts uploads of student or district data to third party platforms, and several districts have started flagging AI capable devices in their student device rules. These early drafts offer a preview of how state guidance could turn into concrete classroom rules about student access, staff use and the disciplinary steps that follow misuse.
For examples, districts point to the proposed Sarasota County language and to acceptable use references posted on county policy pages.
What it could mean for students and vendors
When districts update internet safety policies to include AI, they typically spell out when students may use generative tools, require teacher authorization, and set expectations for vendor data handling standards and parental notice. The Florida K‑12 AI Task Force is urging districts to line up policy updates with federal privacy laws and to build in human review, transparency and safeguards for biased or inaccurate outputs, as its toolkit recommends. The earlier Senate proposal also included procurement limits and other controls that could influence district contracting if similar restrictions are adopted later.
Legal implications
Any new statewide rule language could create a basic, uniform floor for districts, from required parental notices to limits on vendor contracts, and could complicate purchasing if it borrows from the Senate's contracting language. News coverage of the stalled Senate package described provisions on parental consent, limits on chatbots and bans on contracting with firms tied to certain foreign countries, signaling the kinds of legally binding obligations districts might face if those ideas resurface in rule form.
Next steps for districts and families
The State Board workshop on rule 6A‑1.0957 is set for June 22, and stakeholders can watch the department's rules page for meeting details and any opportunities to comment publicly. Districts around Florida are expected to lean on the department's guidance, local task force toolkits and their own public hearings as they finalize policy language ahead of the next school year.
