Skip to main content
HeyOtto!for Schools

AI Policy

AI Policy for Schools: How to Write One (Free Template)

A school AI policy sets which tools students can use, when AI is allowed on assignments, and how student data is protected. Start with the free AI policy template for schools, then adapt it to your K–12 school or district.

No policy is still a policy. It just means every classroom is making it up. Write the school’s position once, then give teachers a shared language for assignments.

Get the free AI policy templateRun the AI readiness checklist
  • Student use
  • Academic integrity
  • Privacy
  • Safety
NG

Natalie Gibson
· Updated

Quick answer

What should a school AI policy include?

A school AI policy should say which tools are approved, who can use them, what may be entered, when AI is allowed on assignments, how students disclose use, how teachers set rules, how families are told, how work is monitored, what happens when something goes wrong, and when the policy is reviewed.

  • Write the policy; do not leave it to each classroom
  • Thirteen questions to answer
  • Three assignment levels: no AI, assisted, encouraged
  • Review at least once a year
  • A policy needs a way to see whether it is followed

Sample outline

Sample school AI policy outline

Use this outline as the skeleton of your school AI usage policy. Each section is written out, with [bracketed] fields to fill in, in the free AI policy template for schools.

Before you draft, run the School AI Readiness Checklist and read Responsible AI in schools.

Get the free AI policy template
  1. 01

    Purpose and scope

    Why the school uses AI and who the policy covers.

  2. 02

    Approved tools

    Which AI tools are allowed and who approves new ones.

  3. 03

    Student use by grade

    Teacher-led in elementary, supervised in middle school, broader independent use in high school.

  4. 04

    Assignment levels

    No AI, AI-Assisted (disclosed), AI-Encouraged.

  5. 05

    Academic integrity and disclosure

    When AI use is cheating and how students show their use.

  6. 06

    Student data and privacy

    What may never be entered into AI.

  7. 07

    Safety and monitoring

    How student AI use is overseen and who gets alerts.

  8. 08

    Incident response

    What happens when something goes wrong.

  9. 09

    Families

    How parents are told and involved.

  10. 10

    Staff training

    What teachers need before rollout.

  11. 11

    Review

    An owner and a date, at least once a year.

During an AI pause

Pausing student AI while you write your policy? How to choose one approved tool

A pause is not a ban if students keep one approved tool with adults in the loop. Choose a student AI tool that lets teachers and admins set the rules, see student chats, match filtering to grade level, protect student data, and switch access off fast. Then review the choice when your policy is done.

What to require from the one tool you keep

Write these into the approval. They are criteria, not a product list, so they still work after the pause ends.

  • Adult controls

    District, school, and teacher roles can each decide who uses the tool, which tools are on, and when.

  • Visibility into student chats

    Teachers can see conversations as they happen, with alerts when something needs a person.

  • Age-appropriate filtering

    Settings start from grade level and can be adjusted by class.

  • Student data privacy

    No ads, no selling student data, a clear deletion timeline, and a DPA you can review.

  • A way to switch access off

    Staff can turn tools off or pause student chat without waiting on a support ticket.

Verified sources

State AI guidance for schools

Checked October 19, 2026. State guidance changes, so confirm the current version with your state education agency before you adopt an AI policy for students. FERPA and COPPA can still apply to the AI tools students use.

  • California

    Model Policy: Artificial Intelligence in Education

    California Department of Education. Developed as required by Senate Bill 1288 (Becker, 2024). Page last reviewed June 26, 2026.

    Read the California model policy

  • Oklahoma

    Model Policy: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use in Schools

    Oklahoma State Department of Education model board policy, updated October 2026 for the Oklahoma Responsible Technology in Schools Act (70 O.S. § 11-120). The model sets full compliance no later than the start of the 2027–28 school year.

    Read the Oklahoma model policy

  • Massachusetts

    Guidance for Artificial Intelligence in K–12 Education

    Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) guidance for district leaders (PDF).

    Read the Massachusetts guidance

  • Washington

    Human-Centered AI Guidance for K–12 Public Schools

    Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), version 3.0, published July 1, 2024 (PDF).

    Read the Washington guidance

Why now

Why Schools Need an AI Policy Now

No policy is still a policy. It just means every classroom is making it up.

  • 01

    Students are already using AI

    At home and at school.

    A written policy does not start AI use. It names the use that is already happening.

  • 02

    Teachers are making different calls

    Classroom by classroom.

    Without a shared line, one room bans AI, the next room allows it, and students guess which rule applies.

  • 03

    Parents are asking questions

    They want a clear answer.

    Families need to know which tools students can open, what is collected, and how the school handles mistakes.

  • 04

    Student data may already be leaving the school

    Into tools nobody approved.

    A policy names what may never be entered into AI — and which tools are allowed to see student work.

Three layers

AI Policy vs. Acceptable Use Policy vs. AI Guidelines

Most schools need all three, or one policy that covers all three layers.

  • Policy

    AI policy

    The school’s official position and rules on AI.

    Why the school is using AI, who it applies to, and the principles that do not change every semester.

  • AUP

    Acceptable use policy

    What students and staff may and may not do.

    The enforceable list: approved tools, banned uses, disclosure, and what happens when someone crosses the line.

  • Guidelines

    AI guidelines

    Practical, classroom-level guidance that changes more often.

    Assignment levels, example prompts, and how a teacher talks about AI this term — easier to update than the board policy.

Assignment levels

Define Levels of AI Use for Assignments

This gives teachers a shared language and ends “was I allowed to use AI?” confusion.

  • No AI

    Work must be done without AI

    The assignment measures the student’s own work.

    Use this when the point is independent thinking, a closed quiz, or a skill students have to show unaided.

  • AI-Assisted

    AI can be used for specific steps

    Brainstorming or feedback, and it must be disclosed.

    Name the allowed steps. Students still write, solve, or build the work they turn in.

  • AI-Encouraged

    AI is part of the assignment

    Students are expected to use it on purpose.

    The task includes prompting, judging output, and showing what they changed. Literacy is the point.

The checklist

What Should a School AI Policy Include?

Each card is the question that section of the policy should answer. Adapt the list to grade levels, law, and community expectations.

  • Approved AI tools

    Which tools are allowed, and who approves new ones?

  • Age requirements

    Which students can use which tools?

  • Student data and privacy

    What information can and can't be entered into AI?

  • Acceptable use

    What is AI allowed to help with?

  • Academic integrity

    When is AI use cheating, and when is it learning?

  • AI disclosure

    How do students show when and how they used AI?

  • Teacher responsibilities

    How do teachers set and communicate AI rules?

  • Student responsibilities

    What are students accountable for?

  • Parent communication

    How are families informed and involved?

  • AI-generated content

    Who owns it, and how is it cited?

  • Monitoring and safety

    How is student AI use overseen?

  • Incident response

    What happens when something goes wrong?

  • Review and updates

    How often is the policy revisited?

By grade

How AI Policy Differs by Grade Level

  • K–5

    Teacher-led

    Elementary

    Teacher-led use only, closed and age-appropriate tools, and a focus on safety and understanding.

    An adult stays with the tool. Students learn what AI is before they use it on their own.

  • 6–8

    Supervised

    Middle School

    Supervised independent use, introduction of disclosure and fact-checking, and clear integrity rules.

    Students can run more of the work. They still need a teacher who can see the thread.

  • 9–12

    Independent

    High School

    Broader independent use, citation expectations, and preparation for college and workplace AI norms.

    Students can ship, cite, and argue the ethics of what they used — with adults still able to review.

How to Write Your School's AI Policy

Eight steps. You do not need a 40-page document on day one.

  1. 01

    Form a small team

    Admin, teachers, IT, and a parent or student voice.

  2. 02

    Take stock of how AI is already being used

    Students and teachers will tell you more than a survey of tools.

  3. 03

    Decide your school's goals for AI

    Support learning, protect students, and keep work honest — write that down.

  4. 04

    Draft the policy using the checklist above

    Answer the thirteen questions; leave what you cannot decide yet for the review date.

  5. 05

    Get feedback from teachers, families, and students

    A policy nobody can follow will not be followed.

  6. 06

    Train staff before rollout

    Teachers need the assignment levels and a way to talk to families.

  7. 07

    Communicate it clearly to families

    A short version they can actually read.

  8. 08

    Review it at least once a year

    Assign an owner and a date.

Common AI Policy Mistakes

Avoid these. They are how a policy becomes a document nobody uses.

  1. 01

    Banning AI outright

    Students use it anyway, just without guidance.

  2. 02

    Being too vague to act on

    If a teacher cannot apply it to tomorrow’s assignment, it is not done.

  3. 03

    Naming specific tools instead of criteria

    The product list will change. The criteria should last.

  4. 04

    Writing it once and never updating it

    AI, state guidance, and school practice will move.

  5. 05

    Leaving teachers out of the process

    They are the ones who have to say it in class.

  6. 06

    Having rules with no way to see whether they're followed

    A policy you cannot observe is a hope, not a practice.

Next step

Free AI Policy Template for Schools

A starting point you can adapt — not legal advice. Review it against your state and district requirements before you adopt it.

Download the TemplateCheck Your AI Readiness

A Policy Only Works If You Can Put It Into Practice

Most policies fail because the school cannot actually see or manage AI use. Students need approved, age-appropriate AI. Teachers need controls. Leaders need student identity, safety monitoring, Real-Time Alerts, academic integrity support, and visibility for the school and families. Passport keeps one student identity and one alerts pipeline across connected tools. UNESCO’s student and teacher AI competency publications are a useful public reference — cited here, not copied. HeyOtto is the student AI environment for putting the policy into practice. Monitoring and safety rules need a way to act on them. In HeyOtto, adults choose which tools each program can use, set time and usage limits, plus quiet hours, for a whole class, and override those limits for an individual student when the defaults don't fit. Real-Time Alerts flag conversations that need a human.

FAQ

Questions about school AI policy

Next step

A policy only works if you can put it into practice

See how HeyOtto supports approved student AI, teacher controls, Real-Time Alerts, integrity, and school visibility.

See How HeyOtto Supports Your AI PolicyTalk to us