Osceola County schools give students Microsoft Copilot access, launch AI Fellows Program
Osceola County Schools in Florida will give students 13 and older access to Microsoft Copilot and launch an 18-week AI Fellows Program for staff.
Photo by Yan Krukau on Pexels
The School District of Osceola County, Florida, will give students aged 13 and older access to Microsoft Copilot as the new school year begins, and will run an 18-week “AI Fellows Program” for roughly 30 staff to help shape district AI policy, Chief Information and Technology Officer Peter Thorne said in a Spectrum News 13 report published July 29, 2026. The moves build on district AI policy work that has been underway since 2024, according to the report.
Copilot is described in district materials as a “24/7 AI learning companion.” Students who use it are required to fact-check the tool’s output themselves and are barred from entering confidential or personal information into it, Spectrum News 13 reported. The district has not published a specific launch date beyond “as the new school year approaches,” nor has it disclosed licensing costs or the terms of its Microsoft agreement.
How the AI Fellows Program will work
Thorne said the district will select about 30 instructional and operational staff to serve as internal “spokespeople” for AI in Osceola County schools and the tools the district is testing. The program runs 18 weeks, starting roughly two weeks after students return to class, and is meant to give staff a “structured, responsible pathway to develop AI expertise, produce measurable results, and prepare the district to lead future innovation with confidence,” per district materials cited by Spectrum News 13.
At the end of the 18 weeks, fellows will present their findings to district leadership, informing decisions on which AI tools and initiatives the district pursues next. “They’re going to present their findings to us, that’s going to help inform us about the tools we’re using, about what initiatives we’re going to move forward with in the district from an AI point of view,” Thorne said.
| Program element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Student access | Ages 13+ get Microsoft Copilot as a “24/7 AI learning companion” |
| Student safeguards | Must fact-check AI output; barred from sharing personal/confidential data |
| AI Fellows Program size | About 30 staff (instructional and operational) |
| AI Fellows Program length | 18 weeks, starting ~2 weeks after students return |
| Program outcome | Fellows present findings to district leadership to shape future AI tools and policy |
| Policy timeline | District AI policy work underway since 2024 |
Teachers voiced mixed views ahead of the district’s July 28 school board workshop on AI. Kim Castro-Stevens, a teacher at Hickory Tree Elementary, told Spectrum News 13 that AI is “one of the fastest-growing changes that happens every day” and described using it for lesson planning and building basic charts, adding: “If we’re not staying ahead of it, which we are trying to stay ahead of it, we’re going to get left behind.” ClickOrlando’s coverage of the same workshop confirmed the AI Fellows Program was on the agenda but did not independently report the 30-staff or 18-week figures, which come from Thorne’s statements to Spectrum News 13.
District materials frame the effort around a specific principle: AI should “augment – not replace – human expertise, relationships, and decision-making,” according to Spectrum News 13. That framing echoes policies already adopted elsewhere in Florida and beyond. Orange County Public Schools, also in Central Florida, approved its first classroom AI policy earlier in 2026, while Katy ISD in Texas moved to limit generative AI chatbots for K-6 students starting in the 2026-27 school year. Osceola’s staff-training approach also parallels Charleston County School District’s program to train teachers under its own AI policy ahead of the same school year.
About the School District of Osceola County
The School District of Osceola County serves the Kissimmee, Florida area in Central Florida and is overseen by an elected school board headquartered in Kissimmee. The district began developing its AI policy in 2024, according to Spectrum News 13, ahead of the broader wave of Florida school districts adopting formal AI guidelines during the 2026-27 school year. The Copilot rollout and AI Fellows Program mark the district’s most concrete public steps yet toward a district-wide AI policy, with fellows’ findings expected to directly inform which tools and initiatives the district adopts next.
Sources: Spectrum News 13; ClickOrlando (WKMG)
Featured image: photo by Yan Krukau 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.
