Schools; creating the Oklahoma Responsible Technology in Schools Act; requiring development of guidance for use of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies. Effective date. Emergency.
SB 1734 creates the Oklahoma Responsible Technology in Schools Act and establishes statewide guardrails for the use of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies in public school districts. The bill states that AI should supplement, not replace, educator-led instruction, and it defines key terms such as classroom AI tools, student-facing AI tools, educator-directed use, and human-in-the-loop oversight.
The bill requires AI used for instructional or educational purposes to be implemented under educator direction and reviewed by a teacher or authorized school employee before use in instruction, feedback, assessment, or decision-making. It prohibits AI from being the primary basis for high-stakes decisions such as grading, discipline, placement, promotion, or retention, and requires that student-facing tools be age-appropriate and used only for defined educational purposes. It also directs districts to minimize student data sharing and comply with FERPA and other privacy/security standards.
The bill adds a new section to Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes and affects public school districts by imposing statewide requirements for AI governance, transparency, and data protection. Districts must provide annual written disclosures to parents or guardians identifying AI tools in use, vendors, categories of student data collected, data-sharing practices, and the educational purpose of each tool. Parents may opt students out of student-facing AI tools without academic penalty or loss of access to core instructional content. By the 2027-2028 school year, each district board must adopt a policy covering approved uses, prohibited uses, oversight roles, data minimization, transparency, and periodic review, while the State Department of Education must issue guidance and the State Board of Education may adopt rules.
The bill appears to have broad bipartisan support and little visible opposition. It passed the Senate Education Committee 9-0, the Senate floor 42-0, the House Common Education Committee 12-0, the House Education Oversight Committee 10-0, and the House floor 86-0. The unanimous votes suggest general agreement that schools need clearer rules for AI use, especially around privacy, transparency, and educator oversight.
No major controversy is reflected in the available voting history or bill text, but the bill does draw clear lines around how AI may be used in schools. The main policy tension is between encouraging responsible use of AI and limiting its role so it does not replace teachers or drive high-stakes decisions. Another likely point of concern is parental control and student privacy, since the bill requires annual disclosures and allows opt-outs, which may increase administrative obligations for districts and vendors. The bill also preserves local control by stating that districts are not required to use AI and retain authority over instructional methods and technology choices.