IL SB1920: SCH CD-ASL IMPLEMENTATION

In one paragraph

Illinois' Public Act 104-0399 (SB 1920) amends the School Code. New Section 2-3.118a requires the State Board of Education, with stakeholders, to develop and publish statewide guidance on AI in K-12 education by July 1, 2026, covering AI concepts, uses that preserve human relationships, bias, privacy, transparency, student-data privacy laws, AI literacy and special populations; the State Superintendent may convene an AI council. It also adds AI-created false depictions, including sexually explicit images and videos, to the recommended internet-safety topic on cyber-bullying. Its sign-language and educator-test parts do not involve AI. Approved August 15, 2025; effective January 1, 2026.

Plain-English summary, written with AI assistance. The official text controls.

What it means for business

No duties for businesses. The act required State Board AI guidance for schools by July 1, 2026 (ISBE released it July 9, 2026), covering bias, privacy, transparency and student-data laws such as FERPA, COPPA and SOPPA that bear on districts' AI tools.

Key provisions

1. 1New School Code Section 2-3.118a: the State Board of Education, in consultation with stakeholders, must develop statewide guidance for school districts and educators on AI in elementary and secondary education, publish it by July 1, 2026 and update it as it deems necessary
2. 2The guidance covers basic AI concepts (machine learning, natural language processing, computer vision), ways to use AI at district, school and classroom levels while preserving the human relationships essential to teaching and learning, and how to evaluate and address bias, privacy, transparency and risk
3. 3It also covers student-data privacy laws relevant to school AI policy (FERPA, the Children's Internet Protection Act, COPPA, the Illinois School Student Records Act and the Student Online Personal Protection Act), AI literacy and ethics, accessible age-appropriate AI applications, English learners and students with disabilities, biases against special populations, and available resources
4. 4The State Superintendent may convene a statewide council on further AI guidance and support; it must include people with AI expertise and at least 2 currently practicing classroom teachers
5. 5Section 27-13.3: the recommended internet-safety topic on recognizing and reporting online harassment and cyber-bullying now includes the creation and distribution of AI-created false representations of individuals, including sexually explicit images and videos
6. 6Parts unrelated to AI: by July 1, 2026 the State Board must encourage districts to collect American Sign Language teaching resources (Section 2-3.206) and publicly post how content area knowledge tests for educator licensure are evaluated for validity, bias and passing scores (Section 21B-30(g-5))
7. 7Approved by the Governor August 15, 2025 (Public Act 104-0399); effective January 1, 2026

Latest legislative action

Aug 15, 2025. Public Act . . . . . . . . . 104-0399

Sponsors (showing 5 of 10)

Roll call votes

Amendments (4)

• Senate Amendment 001 Not adopted 2025-03-13
• Senate Amendment 002 Not adopted 2025-03-14
• House Amendment 001 Not adopted 2025-05-08
• House Amendment 002 Not adopted 2025-05-14