HB2503 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB104 10601 LNS 20677 b

104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
HB2503

Introduced 2/4/2025, by Rep. Laura Faver Dias

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

105 ILCS 5/2-3.118a new
105 ILCS 5/10-20.74
105 ILCS 5/27-13.3

Amends the School Code. Requires the State Board of Education to establish the State Instructional Technology Advisory Board, which shall collaborate with the State Board of Education to provide guidance, integration, oversight, and evaluation of education technologies, including, but not limited to, artificial intelligence technologies. Sets forth the membership of the Advisory Board and terms. Requires the State Board, with the Advisory Board, to develop standards concerning safety, transparency, data privacy, and educational quality for any artificial intelligence technology that may be used in schools and develop guidance for school districts and educators on the use of artificial intelligence in education and the development of artificial intelligence literacy. Requires the annual school district report to the State Board regarding educational technology capacity and policies to include how students, teachers, and district employees use artificial intelligence. Provides that the Internet safety education curriculum shall include instruction in the safe and responsible use of artificial intelligence. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.

STATE MANDATES ACT MAY REQUIRE REIMBURSEMENT MAY APPLY

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning education.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The School Code is amended by adding Section 2-3.118a and by changing Sections 10-20.74 and 27-13.3 as follows:

(105 ILCS 5/2-3.118a new)

Sec. 2-3.118a. State Instructional Technology Advisory Board.

(a) The State Board of Education shall establish a State Instructional Technology Advisory Board, which shall collaborate with the State Board of Education to provide guidance, integration, oversight, and evaluation of education technologies, including, but not limited to, artificial intelligence technologies.

(b) The Advisory Board shall consist of the following members:

(1) the State Superintendent of Education or his or her designee, who shall serve as chairperson of the Advisory Board;

(2) 3 representatives appointed by a statewide association representing teachers;

(3) 2 principals appointed by a statewide principals association;

(4) 2 superintendents appointed by a statewide superintendents association;

(5) 2 school board members appointed by a statewide school board association;

(6) 2 members representing regional offices of education appointed by the State Superintendent of Education;

(7) 2 currently practicing classroom teachers appointed by the State Superintendent of Education;

(8) one representative of a statewide association of educators concerned with instructional technology appointed by the State Superintendent of Education; and

(9) 2 experts on educational applications of artificial intelligence appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.

The members of the Advisory Board shall serve 2-year terms, as long as they continue to meet the criteria under which they were appointed, and may be reappointed without limitation to additional 2-year terms.

(c) The State Board of Education shall, in consultation with the Advisory Board, develop standards concerning safety, transparency, data privacy, and educational quality for any artificial intelligence technology that may be used in schools.

(1) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules necessary to create these standards and to develop and use a rubric or other method that may be used to evaluate artificial intelligence tools and applications against these standards.

(2) No later than December 31, 2025 and no later than July 1 of each subsequent calendar year, the State Board of Education shall make a reasonable effort to identify and evaluate the artificial intelligence tools and applications most commonly used in schools in this State, which includes making available a means for educators to request an evaluation of specific tools.

(3) No later than December 31, 2025 and no later than July 1 of each subsequent calendar year, the State Board of Education shall publish and provide to school districts a list of technology tools employing artificial intelligence that have been evaluated against these standards and the results of that evaluation. The State Board of Education may update this list from time to time in addition to the required annual publication. This list shall be provided only as an informational resource and may not be used to prohibit or require the use of any artificial intelligence technology by districts. The inclusion of a tool on this list does not constitute an endorsement by the State Board of Education.

(d) The State Board of Education shall, in collaboration with the Advisory Board, develop guidance for school districts and educators on the use of artificial intelligence in education and the development of artificial intelligence literacy. This guidance shall include, but is not limited to:

(1) explanations of basic artificial intelligence concepts, including machine learning, natural language processing, and computer vision;

(2) specific ways artificial intelligence can be used at the district, school, classroom, and individual level to enhance teaching and learning while preserving the human relationships essential to effective teaching and learning;

(3) how districts and individual educators can evaluate and address bias, privacy, and transparency in artificial intelligence technologies and applications, including how they can access the results of evaluations performed by the State Board of Education;

(4) best practices for selecting, implementing, and evaluating the use of artificial intelligence technologies and applications;

(5) best practices for developing student literacy in artificial intelligence and engaging students in age-appropriate discussions on the responsible and ethical use of artificial intelligence; and

(6) best practices for making artificial intelligence technologies and applications available and accessible to all students.

(e) The State Board of Education shall provide this guidance to all school districts and charter schools in this State no later than December 31, 2025 and no later than July 1 of each subsequent calendar year.

The State Board of Education shall develop and offer both synchronous and asynchronous professional development opportunities designed to help educators develop artificial intelligence literacy and understand and implement this guidance effectively.

The State Board of Education shall review and update the guidance for educators on the use of artificial intelligence in education from time to time as needed and no less than once per year.

(105 ILCS 5/10-20.74)

Sec. 10-20.74. Educational technology capacity and policies; report. School districts shall submit to the State Board of Education, or its designee, an annual report that shall include, at a minimum, information regarding educational technology capacity and policies, including device availability for students, school-based access and infrastructure, professional learning and training opportunities, and documentation of developmentally appropriate computer literacy instruction embedded in the district's curriculum at each grade level, and how students, teachers, and district employees use artificial intelligence.

(Source: P.A. 101-654, eff. 3-8-21.)

(105 ILCS 5/27-13.3)

Sec. 27-13.3. Internet safety education curriculum.

(a) The purpose of this Section is to inform and protect students from inappropriate or illegal communications and solicitation and to encourage school districts to provide education about Internet threats and risks, including without limitation child predators, fraud, and other dangers.

(b) The General Assembly finds and declares the following:

(1) it is the policy of this State to protect consumers and Illinois residents from deceptive and unsafe communications that result in harassment, exploitation, or physical harm;

(2) children have easy access to the Internet at home, school, and public places;

(3) the Internet is used by sexual predators and other criminals to make initial contact with children and other vulnerable residents in Illinois; and

(4) education is an effective method for preventing children from falling prey to online predators, identity theft, and other dangers.

(c) Each school may adopt an age-appropriate curriculum for Internet safety instruction of students in grades kindergarten through 12. However, beginning with the 2009-2010 school year, a school district must incorporate into the school curriculum a component on Internet safety to be taught at least once each school year to students in grades 3 through 12. The school board shall determine the scope and duration of this unit of instruction. The age-appropriate unit of instruction may be incorporated into the current courses of study regularly taught in the district's schools, as determined by the school board, and it is recommended that the unit of instruction include the following topics:

(1) Safe and responsible use of social networking websites, chat rooms, electronic mail, bulletin boards, instant messaging, artificial intelligence, and other means of communication on the Internet.

(2) Recognizing, avoiding, and reporting online solicitations of students, their classmates, and their friends by sexual predators.

(3) Risks of transmitting personal information on the Internet.

(4) Recognizing and avoiding unsolicited or deceptive communications received online.

(5) Recognizing and reporting online harassment and cyber-bullying, including the creation and distribution of false representations of individuals created by artificial intelligence, including, but not limited to, sexually explicit images and videos.

(6) Reporting illegal activities and communications on the Internet.

(7) Copyright laws on written materials, photographs, music, and video.

(d) Curricula devised in accordance with subsection (c) of this Section may be submitted for review to the Office of the Illinois Attorney General.

(e) The State Board of Education shall make available resource materials for educating children regarding child online safety and may take into consideration the curriculum on this subject developed by other states, as well as any other curricular materials suggested by education experts, child psychologists, or technology companies that work on child online safety issues. Materials may include without limitation safe online communications, privacy protection, cyber-bullying, viewing inappropriate material, file sharing, responsible use of artificial intelligence, and the importance of open communication with responsible adults. The State Board of Education shall make these resource materials available on its Internet website.

(Source: P.A. 95-509, eff. 8-28-07; 95-869, eff. 1-1-09; 96-734, eff. 8-25-09.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.