Ohio requires every school district to adopt an AI policy
Ohio is the first US state to require every school district to adopt an AI policy, under a July 1, 2026 deadline set in law by House Bill 96.
Photo by RDNE Stock project on Pexels
Every public school district in Ohio must now have a written artificial intelligence policy. The requirement took effect on July 1, 2026, the deadline fixed by Ohio Revised Code Section 3301.24. The Ohio school AI policy law makes the state the first in the United States to turn AI guidance for schools into a statutory duty rather than optional advice. It covers traditional public districts, community (charter) schools, and STEM schools, and it was enacted through House Bill 96, the state’s 2026-2027 operating budget.
The law tells schools they must have a policy. It does not tell them what the policy should say. Districts may adopt Ohio’s state-written model policy word for word or write their own. The statute does not require schools to teach AI, and it does not require them to use AI tools in the classroom.
What the Ohio school AI policy requires
Section 3301.24 sets a narrow legal duty: adopt a policy that governs the use of artificial intelligence in the district. The content is left to local boards, guided by a model the state published for reference. The table below separates what the law compels from what it leaves open.
| The law requires | The law does not |
|---|---|
| Every district to adopt an AI policy | Prescribe what the policy must contain |
| A policy governing AI use in the district | Require schools to teach AI |
| Adoption no later than July 1, 2026 | Require schools to use AI tools |
| Coverage of public, charter, and STEM schools | Set penalties defined in the statute itself |
Source: Ohio Revised Code Section 3301.24; Kohrman Jackson & Krantz legal analysis (June 12, 2026).
The timeline ran over roughly nine months. The statute took effect on September 30, 2025. The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) had until December 31, 2025 to publish a model policy, which it released in early January 2026. Districts then had until July 1, 2026 to adopt their own.
What the state model policy covers
The DEW model gives districts a starting template. It addresses acceptable use, academic integrity, and AI literacy in the curriculum. It sets data-privacy protections aligned with federal student-records rules, including limits on entering personally identifiable student information into third-party AI tools. It recommends a process for vetting outside AI products, a standing district AI workgroup that includes a special-education representative, family and community engagement, and periodic review as the technology changes.
Districts that want a framework for building their own version can follow a structured policy for AI in schools and pair it with day-to-day classroom guardrails such as 15 best practices when using AI in the classroom. The wider aim, shared across most district frameworks, is to keep AI use accountable, a theme covered in how to implement AI in education in a responsible way.
How Ohio’s mandate compares nationally
Many US states and agencies have issued AI guidance for schools. Ohio is the first to make adopting a policy a legal requirement, according to legal analysis of the statute by law firm Kohrman Jackson & Krantz. The distinction matters: guidance is advisory, while a statutory duty applies to every covered school and creates a compliance obligation for local boards.
The policy push builds on governance work elsewhere, including the WEF AI readiness framework for education, which sets out how school systems can prepare for AI. Ohio’s approach differs by fixing the requirement in law and leaving the detail to districts.
About the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce
The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce is the state agency that oversees public education for Ohio’s roughly 1.6 million K-12 students. It was reorganised from the former Ohio Department of Education under a 2023 state restructuring and is led by director Stephen D. Dackin. In 2024, the department worked with the nonprofit aiEDU on an AI toolkit for schools, and it later convened an AI in Education Coalition of educators, businesses, nonprofits, and government to shape statewide guidance. That coalition work fed into the model policy the department published in January 2026. With the July 1, 2026 deadline now passed, the department’s model becomes the reference point that every Ohio district’s own AI policy is measured against.
Sources: Ohio Revised Code; GovTech; Kohrman Jackson & Krantz; Dayton Daily News; Ohio Department of Education and Workforce
Featured image: photo by RDNE Stock project on Pexels (free Pexels license).
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I specialize in sustainability education, curriculum co-creation, and early-stage project strategy. At WINSS, I craft articles on sustainability, transformative AI, and related topics. When I’m not writing, you’ll find me chasing the perfect sushi roll, exploring cities around the globe, or unwinding with my dog Puffy — the world’s most loyal sidekick.
