Illinois issues AI guidance to teachers, stressing human relationships in learning

On 10 July 2026, the Illinois State Board of Education issued a 400-page document setting out how teachers might use artificial intelligence responsibly in the classroom. State lawmakers directed the agency to produce recommendations rather than a mandate, leaving how the technology is used to district leaders and to what the guidance calls informed decisions based on local context, capacity, and community priorities.

The framework rests on four principles: the importance of human interaction in teaching and learning, the civic role of schools in their communities, the treatment of AI as a tool to inform teaching rather than replace it, and the recognition that informed use requires purposes that are deliberate, context-sensitive, and locally determined. Educators, it states, should ask not only whether AI can perform a task, but whether its use supports the purposes of schooling.

For children and families, the document acknowledges several risks that arise when the technology enters schools. Among them are:

• student data privacy
• transparency about the use of AI in communications
• cultural bias
• misinformation spread through AI hallucinations, when a chatbot presents fabricated information as fact

The accompanying legislation also requires schools to teach internet safety, including the dangers of inappropriate AI-generated content as a form of cyberbullying. State Superintendent Tony Sanders said the agency's responsibility is to help schools navigate new technologies in a way that strengthens instruction, protects students, and builds trust between districts and the families they serve. The board says it will release further guidance and professional training over the coming school year.

This account is based on original reporting by Chalkbeat.