While several state education departments have published general guidance on classroom use of artificial intelligence that can be adapted or referenced at the local level, Tennessee has gone a step further and is poised to ratify a law requiring school districts to implement their own AI policies before the next academic year.
Tennessee Senate Bill 1711 overwhelmingly passed through both houses in the Tennessee General Assembly in February and was sent to Gov. Bill Lee on Feb. 28. It sets a July 1 deadline for public school and charter school boards to establish an AI use policy and submit it to the state Department of Education for authorization in time for the start of the 2024-2025 academic year. It also requires public colleges and universities to submit their own AI policies to the state Board of Regents by July 1, 2025.
Sen. Joey Hensley (R-Hohenwald) said the goal of this legislation is to keep AI-related decisions at the local level. And while districts can restrict or outright prohibit AI use in schools, he said those who choose to allow tools like ChatGPT should create a policy that’s consistent between teachers and subject areas while providing some guardrails against plagiarism.