Utah schools face new requirements for AI use in classrooms - KUTV

Utah schools face new requirements for AI use in classrooms

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Utah students are already using artificial intelligence as part of their education, but as the technology rapidly becomes part of everyday learning, students, teachers and parents are confronting questions about where, and how, it belongs in the classroom.

A new state law aims to provide clearer answers by requiring AI policies not only at the district and charter school level, but also within individual classrooms and assignments.

Matthew Winters, an artificial intelligence specialist with the Utah State Board of Education, says the speed of AI's development is one reason Utah is working to put more structure around its use in schools, including safeguards for student data.

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Before schools use AI tools, there should be a data privacy agreement between the school and the company providing the technology, Winters said.

“Safety should be table stakes when we talk about AI,” Winters said. “We want to make sure that the tools that are provided to students are safe and secure.”

The agreements are intended to protect information moving between students, schools and technology companies. Winters said parents also have access to a resource where they can review which applications are available to their children.

“That is open 24/7, 365, where parents can review what applications are available to their students,” he said.

The broader changes come through House Bill 273. While school districts currently have local control over which AI tools they allow, the new law requires every local education agency to establish an AI policy.

Winters said the framework calls for district-level policy, a classroom-level policy, and, when AI is used in an assignment, a disclosure about that to parents and how it's being used.

The changes are intended to give parents more information about not only whether their child's school uses AI, but also how the technology is being used in a classroom or for a particular assignment.

“It gives parents that transparency that they're hoping for from the classroom and also allows those teachers to really think through, where does this fit in my classroom?” Winters said.

Some Utah students say they also want a greater role in shaping AI policies.

Rahul Nair, a senior at Skyline High School, has called for the creation of a student advisory committee that would give students a formal way to participate in the policymaking process.

Such a committee “would provide the platform to not only share their ideas, but at the same time provide real-time feedback for how the policies are affecting their day-to-day learning,” Nair said.

Kennedy Mickelson, a rising senior at Hillcrest High School, said students are often asked for their opinions only after decisions have already been made.

“Students can tell you what will actually help in a classroom and what is likely to be valuable in the future and what won't be,” Mickelson said.

The Utah State Board of Education's model policy is moving through the review process, with a December 1, 2026 deadline.

Once the model policy is finalized, districts can adopt it or create their own policies as long as they meet the requirements of the new law. Districts and charter schools have until July 1, 2027, to put their policies in place.

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