guide · AI and student information · last reviewed 18 October 2026
Using AI with student information in ACT schools
ACT public schools follow the Education Directorate's position on the use of AI in ACT public schools, the ACT Government AI Policy and the Information Privacy Act 2014. This guide sets out what they say about student information.
At a glance
- No student's personal information, including name, behaviour and learning capacity, may be entered into generative AI.
- Staff may use generative AI for low to medium risk tasks, such as agendas, formatting and lesson materials.
- Only tools that pass Directorate and whole-of-government assessments are endorsed.
- The federal breach scheme does not generally cover ACT government agencies.
General information, not legal advice. Last reviewed 18 October 2026; rules change, so check the sources below and confirm with your department.
What the department says (government schools)
The position "applies to all generative AI tools used in ACT public schools and by all directorate staff". Generative AI "is available for staff to use for low to medium risk use cases", and staff "should refrain from using generative AI for high-risk use cases, such as personally identifiable data".
"No student's personal information, including but not limited to, their name, age, location, assessment work, behaviour and learning capacity, may be entered into generative AI." No exception for endorsed tools is stated.
The Minister's answer to a question on notice (December 2025): teachers use AI "under a human-in-the-loop model", "not to enter any sensitive or personally identifiable information", and "Only AI tools that meet Directorate and whole-of-government privacy, security and safety assessments are endorsed".
What the law says
- Information Privacy Act 2014: 13 Territory Privacy Principles. The OAIC performs some ACT Information Privacy Commissioner functions under an arrangement with the ACT.
- Health Records (Privacy and Access) Act 1997: governs health records.
- Data breaches: "it is not mandatory for ACT agencies to comply with the NDB scheme", except for tax file number information (OAIC, 2023). ACT Government policy is to report significant privacy breaches to the OAIC voluntarily.
- ACT Government AI Policy (May 2025): it applies where initiatives "Use generative AI capabilities, even if these capabilities are part of standard commercially available products", and "Directorates must manage AI risk through use of the assurance self-assessment tool".
Parent consent
"Any software application that requires sign-in also requires third-party permission forms."
A student trial of an AI notebook tool "requires parent or carer and student consent".
No public consent route lets student personal information go into generative AI. Consent does not lift the rule.
What staff can and can't put into AI
Staff can
- Use generative AI for low to medium risk tasks, such as agendas, formatting and lesson materials
- Use tools the Directorate has endorsed
- Keep a person in the loop on all AI output
- Write notes and reports themselves in software with AI switched off
Staff can't
- Enter any student's personal information into generative AI
- Enter a student's name, age, location, assessment work, behaviour or learning capacity
- Use generative AI for high-risk uses such as personally identifiable data
- Treat consent as an exception to the rule
Reports and family communication
No public rule on AI reports or family communication was found. The Minister's examples of medium-risk use include "formative assessment items"; nothing permits AI judgements about students.
Because student personal information cannot be entered, AI drafting of student-specific documents does not fit the position.
Approvals and assessments
| Step | What it involves |
|---|---|
| Directorate endorsement | Tools are endorsed after Directorate and whole-of-government privacy, security and safety assessments. The school does not classify the tool itself. |
| Permission forms | Software that needs sign-in also needs third-party permission forms from families. |
| AI Policy self-assessment | "Completed self-assessments must be submitted to the AIAG for contestability review." Directorates report AI initiatives twice a year for an AI register. |
| Staff risk matrix | A risk matrix for teachers is on the internal ConnectED Service Portal. |
Timelines. ACT Government AI Policy v1.0: May 2025 (page updated 17 March 2026). No published timeline for Directorate endorsement.
Catholic and independent schools
The position binds ACT public schools and Directorate staff. Catholic and independent schools follow the federal Privacy Act and its Notifiable Data Breaches scheme.
Check with Catholic Education Canberra-Goulburn, AISACT or your school board about AI rules. No public sector-wide AI rule was found for either.
The ISA/NCEC Privacy Compliance Manual (April 2025) suggests a privacy impact assessment for each AI system.
Using Descant within these rules
ACT public schools use Descant with AI off. AI use would need the Directorate to change or waive the rule, most likely through a Directorate-led pilot.
AI is off unless your school adds it
Recording, AI drafting and AI summaries are an optional paid add-on, off unless your school adds them. A school can switch AI off at any time. With AI off, nothing about a student is sent to an AI model, and case management, referrals, support plans, consent records and notes staff write themselves keep working.
Require recorded parent consent before AI runs
With this setting on, AI processes a student's information only when the school has recorded consent from a parent or carer. In ACT government schools consent alone does not lift the department's position on identifiable information, so use it only once the department has approved AI use.
Documents families sign online (coming)
Families will be able to read and sign other school documents online. Parents and carers can already give consent through a secure link. No AI is involved in signing.
Staff review every AI draft
Drafts are labelled as AI-assisted, stay with the staff member, and are never sent to families automatically. Transcription and drafting run in Australia, audio is deleted once transcribed, and school data is not used to train AI models.
See the ACT privacy compliance page for the privacy principles and assessment steps, how Descant keeps student data safe, our privacy policy, and note templates staff can write from with AI off.
Questions to ask your department
- Does "No student's personal information ... may be entered into generative AI" apply to a contracted, Australian-hosted tool used only by staff for record-keeping, which does not train on or keep data?
- Is there any route, such as endorsement or a pilot, under which staff may use AI to transcribe and draft notes about identified students?
- What does Directorate assessment involve for student support software with AI switched off, and how long does it take?
- Would Directorate use of AI features count as an "AI initiative" needing a self-assessment to the AI Advisory Group?
- Does the Health Records (Privacy and Access) Act 1997 apply to school wellbeing and disability notes?
Contact: [email protected] (Digital Strategy, Services and Transformation).
Sources
Each source was read on 18 October 2026. Dates are those shown on the page or document.
- Position on the use of AI in ACT public schools (PDF) (undated PDF; announced February 2025)
- Technology in ACT public schools (updated 8 October 2026)
- Answer to question on notice 111 (PDF) (answer due 5 December 2025)
- ACT Government Artificial Intelligence Policy (v1.0 May 2025; page updated 17 March 2026)
- OAIC: summary of 7 ACT directorates' data breach response plans (6 September 2023)
This guide is general information, not legal advice. It describes public rules as at 18 October 2026, and makes no claim that Descant is approved by any department.
Other states and territories
The national picture: frameworks, ST4S and the Privacy Act. Other guides in the series: Victorian schools, NSW schools, Queensland schools, South Australian schools, Western Australian schools, Tasmanian schools, Northern Territory schools.