When teachers at New Trier High School return for the 2026-27 school year on Monday, August 17, their principals will face a new restriction: under a law the Illinois Association of School Boards says takes effect this school year, no artificial intelligence can be used to score or rate their classroom performance.

Gov. JB Pritzker signed Senate Bill 2909 on Saturday, July 11, banning school administrators across Illinois from using AI to assign numerical scores or qualitative ratings in teacher evaluations. The law also bars teachers from using AI to generate evidence of professional practice for their evaluators.

The ban covers every North Shore district — New Trier District 203, Winnetka District 36, Wilmette District 39, Kenilworth District 38, Glencoe District 35, and Sunset Ridge District 29. None of the six has publicly disclosed whether AI evaluation tools are in use or under contract. North Shore Weekly contacted all six districts for comment; none had responded as of Monday, July 14. Families who want to know whether their child's school uses AI in evaluations can file a Freedom of Information Act request with each district's FOIA officer at their respective websites.

What the law allows

SB 2909 does not ban AI from schools entirely. Teachers and administrators may still use AI for administrative tasks. But if an evaluator uses any AI-assisted tool during the evaluation process, they must disclose the tool's name and purpose to the teacher being evaluated.

"I'm in favor of exploring AI as a tool for basic organization and streamlining simple aspects of modern work, but this technology is not capable of effectively carrying out judgement-based tasks this complex," said state Rep. Mary Beth Canty (D-Arlington Heights), the bill's House sponsor.

State Sen. Christopher Belt (D-Swansea) sponsored the legislation in the Senate.

On the same day, Pritzker signed House Bill 4577, which writes a specific definition of play-based learning into state law for kindergarten classes. Illinois already required play-based learning in kindergarten; the new law spells out what counts.

HB 4577 distinguishes between "teacher-initiated play" aligned to learning standards and "student-initiated play" chosen by the child in a teacher-prepared environment. The bill was sponsored by state Rep. Laura Faver Dias (D-Grayslake).

For kindergarten families at Romona Elementary, Central Elementary, Harper Elementary, and McKenzie Elementary in Wilmette District 39, the law formalizes an approach the district has already embraced. On Saturday, May 9, District 39 hosted a community "Let's Play" event at Romona Elementary in partnership with The Alliance for Early Childhood and the Wilmette Public Library, inviting children into open-ended, child-led play. Crow Island Elementary, Greeley Elementary, and Hubbard Woods Elementary in Winnetka District 36, along with Joseph Sears School in Kenilworth, also serve kindergartners who will learn under the codified standard.

SB 2909 arrives alongside another AI-related law. As of Wednesday, July 1, Illinois expanded its cyberbullying definition to include AI-generated digital replicas, requiring all districts to update their bullying policies before school starts. ISBE press secretary Lindsay Record said statewide AI guidance is still being developed, and that local districts remain responsible for their own policies and procedures.

North Shore Schools Week Ahead

  • Monday, July 20 | Kenilworth District 38 Board of Education Committee of the Whole. Joseph Sears School Cafenasium, 542 Abbotsford Road, Kenilworth.
  • Monday, August 10 | Wilmette District 39 Board of Education Committee of the Whole, 8 a.m. Details at wilmette39.org.
  • Thursday, August 13 | Glencoe District 35 board meeting. Time and location at glencoe35.org.