Left to right: Former ISBE E-Learning director John Sonnenberg, Senior Policy Fellow Sarah Murmann, and Policy Fellow Joe Brewer testify while bill sponsor Rep. Laura Faver Dias (behind, in blue) observes.
Springfield, IL, June 4, 2025—Teach Plus Illinois and Teach Plus teacher leaders applaud the General Assembly’s passage of Illinois’ first legislation on artificial intelligence in schools, which they wrote and championed. The legislation, which now awaits Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s signature, will require the State Board of Education to create the state’s first AI guidance for educators, update the state’s recommended internet safety curriculum to include AI, and ensure classroom teachers are part of any AI advisory group convened by the agency.
“The rapidly expanding presence of artificial intelligence in schools means that teachers have to make decisions about AI in their classrooms every day, whether they’re AI experts or not. Teachers need guidelines now, and our teacher leaders were able to call attention to this issue and develop legislation that both addresses the possibilities AI offers for innovative teaching and learning, as well as the need to ensure this learning benefits all students,” said Bill Curtin, Teach Plus Illinois Policy Director.
Policy Fellows began this work by forming a partnership of 15 organizations to conduct a survey of educator needs on AI and publishing a report outlining their findings about an urgent need for consistent, expert-driven guidance as teachers face daily decisions about AI technology use. They then turned those recommendations into a bill, wrote op-eds here and here about responsible use of AI as a tool in education, and testified at the Illinois State Capitol.
“For Illinois teachers, this legislation prioritizes the importance of digital literacy and ethical AI in the classroom. It is the first step in helping Illinois educators to navigate the complexities of AI technologies, so educators and students can be equipped with the knowledge to use these tools responsibly. By providing guidelines to integrate AI into the curriculum, teachers can begin to prepare all students for an AI-driven future,” said Teach Plus Illinois Senior Policy Fellow Sarah Murmann, who teaches at Crystal Lake South High School in Crystal Lake.
“I’m excited to have some foundation to work with AI in the classroom. This will give me more confidence as I learn more about its benefits in the classroom and how to best use it to support my students’ learning. I know that this will have a positive impact on teachers as well as we navigate the new technology and find ways to safely and efficiently incorporate it into our classroom,” said Teach Plus Illinois Policy Fellow Maria Solis, who teaches at Benito Juarez Community Academy in Chicago and wrote an op-ed.
For more information or interviews, contact Policy Director Bill Curtin, at bcurtin@teachplus.org or 708-337-1932.
About Teach Plus
Teach Plus is dedicated to the mission of empowering excellent, experienced, and diverse teachers to take leadership over key policy and practice issues that advance equity, opportunity, and student success. Since 2009, Teach Plus has developed thousands of teacher leaders across the country to exercise their leadership in shaping education policy and improving teaching and learning for students. https://teachplus.org/il/
