Florida Proposes AI Policies for 28 Colleges and K-12 Parental Opt-Outs

Florida is moving AI oversight into routine school governance. A proposed rule would require all 28 Florida College System institutions to adopt AI-use policies, while K-12 districts would add AI provisions to their internet-safety guidelines. The measures pair academic-use rules with limits on how school-approved tools can engage children.

Campus governance

The college proposal would require policies for students, staff and campus guests. Those policies would address the use and limits of AI, academic integrity and dishonesty, course assignments, and grading. Education Commissioner Henry Mack approved the proposal before it goes to the State Board of Education.

For this rule, AI instructional tools are software applications or services that use artificial intelligence. The proposal distinguishes those tools from systems designed to meet a student’s social needs, simulate friendship or relationships, or use human-like features to encourage continued interaction.

K-12 guardrails

The K-12 direction takes a different route: districts would incorporate AI rules into their internet-safety guidelines. When a district approves an AI instructional tool, it would have to notify parents and offer them the ability to opt their child out.

The K-12 requirements would set three controls

• Parents would receive notice when an AI instructional tool is approved and could opt their child out.
• Tools intended for PreK-5 use would undergo an additional review before approval.
• AI instructional tools could not be used for students’ social or emotional needs, to simulate an emotional relationship, or to use relationship-building or anthropomorphic features that encourage interaction.

A narrower route after a failed bill

The agency action follows the collapse of a state Senate-backed AI Bill of Rights this year. That measure sought restrictions on how technology companies interact with minors, but it did not address AI use in schools, colleges or universities. The House blocked attempts to send it to Gov. Ron DeSantis, despite the governor making its revival a priority in a special session.

The failed bill would have established parental rights to control children’s interactions with AI chatbots, barred state-agency contracts with AI firms tied to a foreign country of concern, and addressed unauthorized uses of a person’s name, image or likeness. House Speaker Daniel Perez maintained that the issue belonged with the federal government and did not bring the bill to the floor.

A separate legal fight

Florida is also suing OpenAI and its chief executive, Sam Altman, alleging that ChatGPT aided acts of violence. The state asserts claims of negligence, unfair trade practices, public nuisance and product liability. Those are allegations in a civil case, not findings of liability.

Attorney General James Uthmeier cited the April 17, 2025 shooting at Florida State University, which killed two people and wounded five. Law-enforcement officials say the alleged shooter consulted ChatGPT about weapons, ammunition and a campus setting intended to maximize deaths. The Board of Education’s Sept. 16 decision is the next stated step for the school-policy proposal; the lawsuit proceeds separately.