School districts hear about the Texas AI training requirement and assume every employee has to take it. The Education Code says otherwise. The rule for districts is narrower than the rule for cities and counties, and that gives districts a real decision to make.
What the law says
Education Code Section 11.175(h-1), as amended by HB 3512:
- Only the district's cybersecurity coordinator is required to complete the cybersecurity training and the artificial intelligence training on an annual basis.
- Any other employee required to complete the training does so as determined by the district, in consultation with the cybersecurity coordinator.
The training referred to is the training under Government Code Section 2054.5191, which calls for programs certified under Section 2054.5193. The state publishes the list of certified programs.
Why a district would train more than one person
The legal minimum is small. The practical risk is not. Staff are already using AI tools to write parent letters, build lessons, summarize meetings and draft reports. The questions that come up are the ones districts care about most:
- Can student information go into this tool?
- Who checks what the tool wrote before it goes to a family?
- Is this output part of a record we have to keep?
- What do I do when the tool gets something wrong?
A cybersecurity coordinator who understands those answers cannot personally catch every mistake across a district. Awareness training for the right groups spreads the judgment out to where the work happens.
How to decide who else trains
Start with the people whose use of AI carries the most risk, not with a headcount.
| Group | Why they are worth including |
|---|---|
| Staff who handle student records | Privacy is the highest-stakes mistake a district can make with these tools. |
| Campus and central office leaders | They approve tools, set expectations and answer for incidents. |
| Communications and family engagement staff | Their work goes straight to the public. |
| Staff who buy or approve software | They decide which tools enter the district in the first place. |
| Teachers already using AI in planning | Checking output and protecting student information are daily questions for them. |
A district could include everyone who meets the 25 percent computer-use test that applies to other local governments, or start with a few groups and widen it later. Either can be right. What matters is that the decision is written down, made with the coordinator, and revisited each year.
A simple plan for this school year
- Confirm the coordinator's training. Choose a certified program and put the completion date on the calendar.
- Write the district's decision. One paragraph: which other groups train, why, and who approved it.
- Match the format to the group. A short self-paced course suits most staff. A live session works well for leadership teams who need to talk through real situations.
- Keep completion records. Name, role, campus, program and date. Save proof as people finish.
- Connect it to your AI guidance. Training lands better when staff can see the district's actual rules on what they can and cannot do.
Common mistakes
- Training everyone because it seemed required, then running out of time and budget for the groups that matter most.
- Training no one but the coordinator, while staff use AI with student information every day.
- Using a course that is not certified for the coordinator's required training.
- Not writing the decision down, so nobody can explain later why some staff trained and others did not.
The law gives districts flexibility. The districts that use it well pick their groups deliberately, keep records, and review the choice every year.
Questions people ask
Do all Texas school district employees have to take AI training?
No. Under Education Code Section 11.175(h-1), only the district's cybersecurity coordinator is required to complete the cybersecurity and AI training annually. Other employees complete it as determined by the district, in consultation with the coordinator.
How often does the cybersecurity coordinator have to complete it?
Annually.
Who decides which other staff take AI training?
The district, in consultation with its cybersecurity coordinator.
Does the training have to be a certified program?
The requirement refers to the training under Government Code Section 2054.5191, which calls for a program certified under Section 2054.5193. The state publishes the list of certified programs.