Safe and Responsible AI in Schools Act.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
S 1
SENATE BILL 864

Short Title: Safe and Responsible AI in Schools Act. (Public)
Sponsors: Senator Jones (Primary Sponsor).
Referred to: Rules and Operations of the Senate
April 29, 2026
*S864-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO REQUIRE THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO UPDATE COMPUTER 2
SCIENCE STANDARDS TO INCLUDE INSTRUCTION ON ARTIFICIAL 3
INTELLIGENCE (AI), TO REQUIRE EDUCATION AGENCIES AND PUBLIC SCHOOL 4
UNITS TO ADOPT POLIC IES REGARDING THE US E OF AI, TO ESTABLISH A 5
FRAMEWORK FOR EVALUATING AI EDUCATIONAL TOOLS FOR USE IN PUBLIC 6
SCHOOLS, AND TO REQU IRE THE DEPARTMENT O F PUBLIC INSTRUCTION TO 7
CONTRACT WITH THE FR IDAY INSTITUTE TO DE VELOP EDUCATOR AND 8
ADMINISTRATOR TRAINING ON THE USE OF AI AND APPROPRIATE FUNDS FOR 9
THAT PURPOSE. 10
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 11
12
PART I. MODIFY COMPUTER SCIENCE STANDARDS 13
SECTION 1.(a) G.S. 115C-81.90 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 14
"(a1) Instruction on Artificial Intelligence Literacy. – The State Board shall adopt 15
age-appropriate standards for instruction on artificial intelligence (AI) literacy for grades 16
kindergarten through 12. All courses offered pursuant to this section shall include instruction on 17
AI literacy aligned with the standards adopted by the State Board. Notwithstanding the regular 18
review of content standards required by G.S. 115C-12(9c)c., the State Board shall review and 19
update these standards every two years to keep up with advancements in AI. The standards shall 20
include at least the following: 21
(1) Responsible and ethical use of AI. 22
(2) Limitations of AI tools. 23
(3) Evaluation and verification of outputs provided by AI tools. 24
(4) Data and privacy concerns related to AI tools. 25
(5) Best practices and safety when interacting with AI or AI chatbots." 26
SECTION 1.(b) Notwithstanding the regular review of content standards pursuant 27
to G.S. 115C-12(9c)c., the State Board of Education shall revise the standard course of study for 28
computer science for grades kindergarten through 12 to include artificial intelligence literacy in 29
accordance with G.S. 115C-81.90(a1), as enacted by this section. The State Board shall adopt the 30
revised standards for implementation beginning with the 2028-2029 school year. 31
SECTION 1.(c) The State Board of Education, in consultation with the Department 32
of Public Instruction, shall update the lists of approved courses required by G.S. 115C-81.90(b) 33
and (c) to reflect course alignment with the revised computer science standards adopted pursuant 34
to subsection (b) of this section. The State Board shall update the lists for use beginning with the 35
2028-2029 school year. 36
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 Senate Bill 864-First Edition
SECTION 1.(d) The Department of Public Instruction shall report to the Joint 1
Legislative Education Oversight Committee by December 15, 2028, on the following related to 2
the adoption of revised computer science standards in accordance with subsection (b) of this 3
section: 4
(1) Adoption and implementation of the revised standards. 5
(2) Alignment of courses on the approved courses lists as upd ated pursuant to 6
subsection (c) of this section. 7
(3) Any difficulties with the implementation of the revised standards. 8
9
PART II. PUBLIC SCHOOL UNIT AI POLICIES 10
SECTION 2.(a) Part 3A of Article 8 of Chapter 115C of the General Statutes is 11
amended by adding a new section to read: 12
"§ 115C-102.13. Artificial intelligence policies. 13
The Department of Public Instruction shall develop a model artificial intelligence (AI) policy 14
to serve as guidance to public school units when developing their AI policies. At a minimum, the 15
model policy shall include the following: 16
(1) A definition of AI, generative AI, and AI tools. 17
(2) Guidance on how to develop the AI literacy of students and school staff. AI 18
literacy shall include education about nonconsensual intimate imagery. 19
(3) Data privacy and security measures to protect students and staff, including 20
protecting personally identifiable information, when using AI. 21
(4) Standards of ethical and acceptable use of AI and AI chatbots in an 22
educational setting, including standards of academic integrity when using AI." 23
SECTION 2.(b) G.S. 115C-47 is amended by adding a new subdivision to read: 24
"(73) To Adopt an AI Use Policy. – Local boards of education shall adopt a policy 25
on the use of artificial intelligence by students and staff for educational 26
purposes after review of the model policy developed by the Department of 27
Public Instruction pursuant to G.S. 115C-102.13." 28
SECTION 2.(c) G.S. 115C-150.12C is amended by adding a new subdivision to 29
read: 30
"(39) To adopt an AI use policy. – The board of trustees shall adopt a policy on the 31
use of artificial intelligence by students and staff for educational purposes 32
after review of the model policy developed by the Department of Public 33
Instruction pursuant to G.S. 115C-102.13." 34
SECTION 2.(d) G.S. 115C-218.33 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 35
"(c) A charter school shall adopt a policy on the use of artificial intelligence by students 36
and staff for educational purposes after review of the model policy developed by the Department 37
of Public Instruction pursuant to G.S. 115C-102.13." 38
SECTION 2.(e) G.S. 115C-238.66 is amended by adding a new subdivision to read: 39
"(18c) To adopt an AI use policy. – The board of directors shall adopt a policy on the 40
use of artificial intelligence by students and staff for educational purposes 41
after review of the model policy developed by the Department of Public 42
Instruction pursuant to G.S. 115C-102.13." 43
SECTION 2.(f) G.S. 116-239.8 is amended by adding a new subdivision to read: 44
"(21c) To adopt an AI use policy. – The chancellor shall adopt a policy regarding the 45
use of artificial intelligence by students and staff fo r educational purposes 46
after review of the model policy developed by the Department of Public 47
Instruction pursuant to G.S. 115C-102.13." 48
SECTION 2.(g) This section is effective when it becomes law. The Department of 49
Public Instruction shall develop the model policy required by G.S. 115C-102.13, as enacted by 50
this section, no later than December 31, 2026. The Superintendent shall ensure that all public 51
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Senate Bill 864-First Edition Page 3
school units have access to the model policy developed by the Department by no later than 1
January 15, 2027. Governing bodies of public school units shall adopt the policies required by 2
subsections (b) through (f) of this section by no later than June 30, 2027. 3
4
PART III. AI TOOL EVALUATION FRAMEWORK 5
SECTION 3.(a) Part 3A of Article 8 of Chapter 115C of the General Statutes is 6
amended by adding a new section to read: 7
"§ 115C-102.14. Department responsibilities regarding artificial intelligence tools. 8
(a) The Department of Public Instruction shall establish and maintain an evaluation 9
framework that provides criteria and guiding considerations for evaluating generative artificial 10
intelligence-powered educational tools (AI tools). The Department shall review a nd update the 11
framework at least every two years and update the criteria to reflect changes in technology, 12
evidence, or educational practice. The framework shall address at least the following: 13
(1) Student data privacy, security, and transparency. 14
(2) Alignment with the standard course of study. 15
(3) Accessibility for all students. 16
(b) The Department shall maintain a publicly available list of AI tools that have been 17
reviewed under the framework established in accordance with subsection (a) of this section. 18
(c) The Departme nt shall establish procurement guidance, qualified vendor lists, and 19
other mechanisms to support and incentivize the adoption of AI tools that have been reviewed 20
under the framework established in accordance with subsection (a) of this section. 21
(d) The Department shall maintain a publicly available list of all AI tools being used in 22
public school units." 23
SECTION 3.(b) This section is effective when it becomes law. 24
25
PART IV. EDUCATOR AND ADMINISTRATOR TRAINING ON THE USE OF AI 26
SECTION 4.(a) The Department of Public Instruction shall partner with the Friday 27
Institute for Educational Innovation at North Carolina State University (Friday Institute) to 28
design, produce, and support implementation of a suite of tool-agnostic online training modules 29
and related training resources. Modules and resources shall address at least the following: 30
(1) AI fundamentals for educators, including the following: 31
a. What AI is and is not. 32
b. The basics of generative AI. 33
c. Strengths and limitations of AI as a learning tool. 34
d. AI "hallucinations," or when AI tools reference information that is 35
inaccurate or nonexistent. 36
(2) Responsible instructional use of AI, such as the following: 37
a. Lesson planning. 38
b. Differentiated instruction. 39
c. Student feedback. 40
d. Productivity workflows and how AI can improve productivity. 41
e. Appropriate boundaries for AI usage. 42
(3) Verification and quality control, including the following: 43
a. Fact-checking information provided by an AI program. 44
b. Evaluation of sources provided by an AI program. 45
c. Documenting prompts and outputs from AI programs. 46
d. Educator accountability for decisions based on input from an AI 47
program. 48
(4) Academic integrity and assessment redesign to account for greater student 49
access to AI tools. 50
(5) Data privacy and security regarding AI tools. 51
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 4 Senate Bill 864-First Edition
(6) Bias in AI systems, including the following: 1
a. How bias enters into AI systems. 2
b. The effect of those biases on disparately impacted communities. 3
c. How to mitigate the effects of bias when using AI tools. 4
d. Inclusive classroom use. 5
(7) Accessible usage with special populations, including supports and 6
differentiation for the following populations: 7
a. Students with disabilities. 8
b. Limited English proficient students. 9
(8) Ethical use and professional responsibility for educators, including the 10
following: 11
a. Transparency with students and families about the use of AI tools. 12
b. Appropriate decision making in the classroom regarding the use of AI 13
tools. 14
c. Avoiding overreliance on AI tools. 15
SECTION 4.(b) The Friday Institute shall produce at least the following: 16
(1) A suite of self-paced modules that require a minimum of 10 hours of seat time 17
to complete. 18
(2) A facilitator guide to be provided to administrators in each public school unit 19
to help facilitate the professio nal learning developed pursuant to subsection 20
(a) of this section. 21
(3) Model classroom resources to be provided to teachers. 22
(4) A package to be provided to public school unit professional learning staff to 23
develop a "train-the-trainer" model within public school units. 24
SECTION 4.(c) All resources developed pursuant to subsection (b) of this section 25
shall be made available to public school units by June 30, 2027, using professional development 26
platforms and structures currently in use by the Department of Public Instruction. 27
SECTION 4.(d) All teachers employed by local school administrative units, charter 28
schools, or laboratory schools shall complete the professional development provided pursuant to 29
this section by June 30, 2028. 30
SECTION 4.(e) The Departm ent of Public Instruction shall report to the Joint 31
Legislative Education Oversight Committee by December 15, 2028, on the following: 32
(1) The number of modules delivered by the Friday Institute and implemented in 33
public school units. 34
(2) Educator participa tion in modules, based on metrics available to the 35
Department. 36
(3) Any recommended updates to the professional learning provided pursuant to 37
this section. 38
(4) Any additional supports needed for continuing implementation. 39
SECTION 4.(f) There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of 40
Public Instruction the sum of five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) in nonrecurring funds for 41
the 2026-2027 fiscal year to implement the provisions of this section. Funds appropriated in this 42
act shall not revert but shall remain available until the end of the 2027-2028 fiscal year. 43
44
PART V. EFFECTIVE DATE 45
SECTION 5. Except as otherwise provided, this act becomes effective July 1, 2026. 46