Pennsylvania Schools Would Have to Write AI Rules Under Advancing Bill

HARRISBURG — Every public and private school in Pennsylvania would have to adopt a written policy on generative artificial intelligence under a bill that advanced out of the state House Education Committee on Oct. 6.

House Bill 2786, printed as PN 4006, would add a new section to the Public School Code of 1949 requiring every school entity and nonpublic school to have a generative AI policy in place by the start of the 2027-28 school year. The committee reported the bill as amended on a 14-12 vote, and it was laid on the table after first consideration on the House floor the same day, according to the General Assembly’s bill information page.

The measure would also bar schools from letting artificial intelligence make the final decision on student grades or on individualized education programs, the federally required plans for students with disabilities.

The bill arrives as districts across the state wrestle with how students and teachers use tools like ChatGPT in classrooms, with policies varying widely from district to district.

Related measures are moving through the same committee. One would address the use of artificial intelligence in teacher certification, while another would prohibit AI in school-based mental health and counseling, according to LegiScan’s bill tracking.

For Philadelphia, the state’s largest school district, a statewide mandate would replace a patchwork in which each district sets its own rules.

The bill’s next step is second consideration on the House floor, where members can offer amendments before any final vote.

With the 2027-28 deadline more than a year away, districts would have time to write policies, train staff and tell families what the rules are before they take effect.