A state education code is the statute that collects a state's school law, and since 2024 some of these codes have started to address artificial intelligence. California's Education Code now asks a state commission to consider AI literacy in its curriculum frameworks and set up a working group on AI in schools, while Ohio's Revised Code requires every school district to adopt an AI policy by July 1, 2026. The two approaches differ in how strongly they bind schools.
Key takeaways
- California's AB 2876, chaptered on September 29, 2024, uses the word "consider" for AI literacy in curriculum frameworks, so it is not a classroom mandate.
- California's SB 1288, chaptered on September 28, 2024, created a working group with a model policy due by July 1, 2026.
- Ohio Revised Code 3301.24 requires a board-adopted AI policy by July 1, 2026, but the state model policy is optional.
- The April 23, 2025 federal executive order directs agencies and grant priorities; it is not a school code.
What an education code is, and where Canada differs
In the United States, each state collects its school law in a statute set: the Education Code in California, and in Ohio the education titles of the Revised Code. These texts set who governs schools, what must be taught, and what districts must adopt. Canada has no single national school statute because education is a provincial responsibility, and the laws carry different names. British Columbia, for example, governs public schools through the School Act, RSBC 1996, chapter 412, rather than an act called an education code.
A code matters for AI because schools take most of their binding obligations from it. A district can ignore a think-tank report, but it cannot ignore a statute that says it shall adopt a policy by a stated date.
California: two bills, two different strengths
AB 2876 became Chapter 927 of the Statutes of 2024. It asks the Instructional Quality Commission to consider adding AI literacy to the mathematics, science, and history-social science curriculum frameworks when they are next revised after January 1, 2025, and to consider it in the criteria used to evaluate instructional materials in those subjects. The bill defines AI literacy as the knowledge, skills, and attitudes involved in how AI works, including its principles, concepts, and applications, plus how to use it, with its limitations, implications, and ethical considerations. Because the operative verb is "consider," news summaries that call it a requirement overstate the text.
SB 1288 became Chapter 893 and was chaptered one day before it. It directs the State Superintendent of Public Instruction to convene a working group on AI in public schools. According to the legislative digest, the group owes guidance for districts, county offices of education, and charter schools by January 1, 2026, a model policy by July 1, 2026, and a report to the Legislature by January 1, 2027, after which the provisions are repealed on January 1, 2031. A model policy of this kind is an offer, not an order, so each local agency still decides what to adopt. Readers who need the current status of the guidance and the model policy should check the California Department of Education.
Ohio: a mandate with a template
Ohio took the other route. Section 3301.24 of the Revised Code, added by House Bill 96, the state budget, took effect on September 30, 2025. It says each school district, community school, and STEM school shall adopt a policy on the use of artificial intelligence, by July 1, 2026. The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce published a model policy that a district may adopt as is. The model addresses appropriate use of AI by students and staff, along with academic integrity and data privacy.
The statute therefore binds the act of adopting a policy, not the policy's content. A district that copies the model and one that writes a stricter version both comply.
Side by side
| Instrument | Date | What it does | Binding on schools? |
|---|---|---|---|
| California AB 2876 | September 29, 2024 | Commission considers AI literacy in frameworks and materials criteria | No direct duty on schools; shapes later state frameworks |
| California SB 1288 | September 28, 2024 | Working group produces guidance and a model policy | Model policy is for local agencies to adopt or not |
| Ohio Revised Code 3301.24 | Effective September 30, 2025 | Districts and charter and STEM schools must adopt an AI policy by July 1, 2026 | Yes, for adopting a policy |
| Executive Order 14277 | April 23, 2025 | Federal task force, challenge, grant guidance, teacher training priorities | Directs federal agencies, not school boards |
The federal layer
Executive Order 14277, Advancing Artificial Intelligence Education for American Youth, created a White House Task Force on AI Education. Section 6 told the Secretary of Education to issue guidance within 90 days on using federal formula and discretionary grant funds for AI-based instruction, high-impact tutoring, and college and career pathways. Section 7 told the Secretary to prioritize AI in teacher training grants. These are instructions to federal agencies, so they affect schools through funding rules instead of through a school code.
How to check a specific district
- Look up the state statute by section number on the legislature's official site, not a summary.
- Note the verb: shall, may, and consider carry different duties.
- Find the date the duty starts and the agency responsible.
- Check whether a model policy exists and whether the district adopted it as written.
- Read the district's own board policy, which is what parents and staff actually experience.
This article is general information about public laws, not legal advice. Statutes get amended, and the official text governs.
FAQ
Does California require schools to teach AI?
Not by the text of AB 2876. It asks a commission to consider AI literacy when it revises certain curriculum frameworks, so any classroom change depends on what the state later adopts.
Is the Ohio AI policy requirement in force?
Section 3301.24 took effect on September 30, 2025, and its deadline for adopting a policy was July 1, 2026. Districts can use the state's model or write their own.
Do Canadian provinces have the same kind of law?
They have comparable statutes under different names, such as British Columbia's School Act. This article did not verify whether any provincial school statute has added AI provisions.
Does a federal executive order change what a school must do?
Not directly. Executive Order 14277 instructs federal agencies, and its effect on schools runs through grant guidance and priorities.
Related reading
- What an education act does
- The role of a department of education
- Human-centered AI
- AI technology in education
More in AI in education.
Last verified: October 2026
Sources
- AB 2876, Chapter 927, Statutes of 2024, California Legislature (legislative digest), 2024
- SB 1288, Chapter 893, Statutes of 2024, California Legislature (legislative digest), 2024
- Ohio Revised Code section 3301.24, Artificial intelligence policy, effective September 30, 2025
- AI in Ohio's Education and model policy, Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, 2026
- Executive Order 14277, Advancing Artificial Intelligence Education for American Youth, The White House, April 23, 2025
- School Act, RSBC 1996, chapter 412, Province of British Columbia, current to October 13, 2026