New Florida law provides schools grants for AI in classrooms

WCTV | By Cody Butler | August 29, 2024

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV/Gray Florida Capital Bureau) – Artificial Intelligence is becoming more and more common in our lives. And now, the state is making money available to help teachers integrate the technology into classrooms.

“The challenge we have with AI is there needs to be some boundaries,” Florida Education Association president Andrew Spar said.

A new law is making it easier for school districts across the state to integrate AI in classrooms. It provides more grant options to pay for subscription fees and professional learning resources. Spar said this could help teachers.

“AI can help in terms of teachers writing lesson plans using AI. It can probably help in some other ways integrating into the classroom,” Spar said.

It’s a move incoming Florida PTA President Jude Bruno said is needed in education today.

“It’s definitely an early frontier as it comes into the education system and is definitely a worthy investment to be able to support school districts in that avenue.”

Meanwhile, Spar said teachers are already coming up with ways to make sure students are learning as they adopt the new technology.

“I think what you’ll see is a lot of teachers adopting processes and procedures that allow them to get at whether a student really did their work,” Spar said.

The new law also creates a New World Tutoring Program, which awards grants for in-person tutoring for elementary students who need help in reading and math.

The New Worlds Scholarship eligibility is also expanded to include students with learning deficiencies enrolled in a Voluntary PreK program.