The Florida Department of Education has proposed amending the state's Internet Safety Policy rule to require all district and charter school governing boards to incorporate artificial intelligence governance into their annual internet safety policies by January 1, 2027. The draft rule, filed under Rule 6A-1.0957, is now in the development stage of Florida's administrative rulemaking process, according to the Florida Administrative Register, which published development notices on June 8 and July 21, 2026.
What the proposed rule would require
Under the amendment, districts would need to send plain-language notice to parents when an AI instructional tool is approved for use. Parents would have the option to opt their children into direct use of the tool and must be offered a non-AI alternative. The rule also gives parents the ability to limit the amount of time students spend using AI tools. AI tools used in grades PreK through 5 would require an additional review before approval.
The proposal bans any AI tool that is designed to simulate friendship or an emotional relationship or that uses anthropomorphic design features intended to encourage continued student interaction. The text explicitly states that no AI instructional tool may be used to meet a student's social or emotional needs or to simulate an emotional relationship, according to the draft published by the department.
How the rule fits into existing policy
Florida's approach embeds K-12 AI governance into the existing internet safety rule rather than creating a standalone AI statute. The legislature attempted a standalone approach through Senate Bill 1194, which would have required the State Board of Education to adopt statewide AI standards, mandate teacher training, require student AI literacy instruction, and include AI policies in student codes of conduct. That bill died in the Education PreK-12 committee on March 13, 2026, according to the Florida Senate. The department's rulemaking action proceeds independently of the failed legislation.
The current Rule 6A-1.0957, effective August 22, 2023, already requires districts to adopt annual internet safety policies covering content filtering, electronic communications safety, student data protections, social media restrictions, and a ban on the use of TikTok on school devices and networks, as recorded in the Florida Administrative Code. The proposed AI amendment extends this same regulatory framework, meaning districts already have an administrative structure for annual policy review and adoption.
The State Board of Education is expected to consider the K-12 rule amendment, alongside a separate rule covering AI policies in Florida College System institutions, at its next meeting scheduled for September 16, 2026, at Polk State College in Winter Haven. Education Commissioner Henry Mack approved the separate college-system AI rule, the department confirmed.