Notable developments across Florida’s education landscape impacting K-12, higher education, and workforce development
Florida Board of Education sets AI rules impacting students from PreK to college
On September 16, 2026, the Florida State Board of Education adopted new rules governing the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and educational technology in Florida’s school districts, charter school boards, and Florida College System institutions—creating one of the most comprehensive, parent-centered AI frameworks in the country.
The new rules do not ban innovation. Instead, they require that innovation act as additional support for teachers and parents. School districts, charter school boards, and Florida College System institutions must adopt transparent policies governing AI and other educational technologies — amending internet safety policies to include specific guardrails and directives related to AI. This includes notifying parents when an AI instructional tool is approved and requiring family consent, restricting AI’s role in graded work, and barring systems that profile students or simulate friendship. Charter schools and districts must “protect students, parents, and instructional personnel from unlawful, deceptive, unsafe, or unauthorized uses of artificial intelligence systems, services, applications, and tools used in connection with educational programs and operations in Florida public schools.” Education Commissioner Henry Mack also directed the Department of Education to update the Florida Digital Classrooms Plan to strengthen how educational technology is evaluated and used in schools.
Florida Implements Workforce Pell Grant Funding to Support Short-Term, Career-Focused Training
On September 17, 2026, Governor DeSantis announced Florida’s initial list of eligible short-term workforce programs for purposes of implementing the new federal Workforce Pell Grant program, which expanded Pell Grant eligibility to cover high-quality, short-term workforce training, extending financial aid to students pursuing career credentials rather than only traditional four-year degrees. Education Commissioner Henry Mack will lead the statewide implementation, with the Department of Education using Florida Commerce’s targeted occupations list and the CareerSource Florida Master Credential List to determine eligible programs. More than 100 eligible Workforce Pell programs are now available across technical colleges, school districts, state colleges, and parts of the university system, in fields such as manufacturing, welding, aviation mechanics, and first responder training. Credentials can be earned in as little as eight weeks, and Mack emphasized that eligibility is limited to credentials with demonstrated labor-market value. The announcement builds on a 2019 executive order that set a goal, achieved ahead of schedule, for Florida to become the nation’s top state for workforce education.
For more information about Florida’s implementation of the Workforce Pell Grant and to view the inventory of eligible programs, visit www.fldoe.org/workforcepell. The Florida Workforce Pell Grant Policies & Procedures Guide is available here.
