guide · AI and student information · last reviewed 18 October 2026
Using AI with student information in South Australian schools
The Department for Education provides its own AI tool, EdChat, and publishes AI guidance for staff behind a staff login. This guide sets out what the public pages say about student information, what the privacy framework adds, and how a school can work within it.
At a glance
- The Department recommends that schools and students don't enter personal information into generative AI tools such as public chatbots and image generators.
- EdChat is the Department's own tool, with data secured by the Department and stored in Australia; it is not designed to support wellbeing.
- Detailed staff guidance needs a staff login, so confirm the position for other AI tools with the Department.
- Catholic and independent schools set their own rules.
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 parents page (updated 17 October 2025) says the Department recommends that "schools and students don't enter personal information into generative AI tools", and that "Information and content entered into generative AI becomes the property of the owners of the tool". It adds: "Every school determines how their teachers and students can use AI."
EdChat (page updated 24 August 2026): "All data entered and used is secured by the department and stored in Australia." "EdChat is designed to support teaching and learning, not to provide support with wellbeing."
For preschools and early childhood programs, not schools, the Department's policy (v1.4, April 2026) says educators "must not enter any personal or identifying information about children" into any AI tool other than EdChat. The school guidance is likely to take a similar line; confirm it.
Staff guidance, "Artificial intelligence in schools – use and considerations", is on the Department's intranet.
What the law says
- South Australia has no privacy statute for government agencies. The 10 Information Privacy Principles are set by the Information Privacy Principles Instruction, Premier and Cabinet Circular PC012 (latest version found: May 2020). Contracts with service providers must include conditions so the principles are complied with.
- Data breaches: there is no breach-notification law, but agencies and contracted providers should notify the Privacy Committee of South Australia "as soon as possible" (guidance updated 12 June 2025).
- The South Australian Cyber Security Framework (SACSF) applies to public sector agencies, including the Department.
Parent consent
No AI-specific consent rule was found. Schools decide how to introduce EdChat with their community.
Whether parent consent is needed for AI processing of wellbeing information or session audio is not stated publicly. Ask the Department.
If the Department allows a tool, decide locally whether to ask families for consent, and record it.
What staff can and can't put into AI
Staff can
- Use EdChat, the Department's own tool
- Use AI for work that contains no personal information
- Follow their school's rules on how staff use AI
- Write notes and reports themselves in software with AI switched off
Staff can't
- Enter personal information into public generative AI tools (the Department's recommendation)
- Use EdChat for wellbeing support
- Give agency information to a sub-contractor without written approval
- Use a cloud service before the Department has risk-assessed it
Reports and family communication
No published limit on AI drafting reports for families was found. The Department's own LEAP app, inside EdChat, was launched "to automatically evaluate student writing" (Annual Report 2025).
EdChat is "not to provide support with wellbeing", so expect questions about AI on wellbeing notes. Ask the Department before using AI for documents shared with families.
Approvals and assessments
| Step | What it involves |
|---|---|
| Cloud risk assessment | "Risk assessments must be performed by the agency prior to implementing any cloud computing service" (SACSF Guideline 18.0). The Department does this, not each school. |
| Supplier assessment | "Cyber security requirements must be included in all agreements with suppliers." Agency information goes to sub-contractors only with "express written approval". |
| Offshore data | OFFICIAL: Sensitive information, such as personally identifiable information or health records, "may only be stored or processed offshore" after a risk assessment and documented acceptance. |
| AI features | Ask the Department whether an AI tool other than EdChat may process identified student information. |
Timelines. SACSF V2.0 gap analysis and implementation plans were due by 23 March 2026. No published timeline for ICT approvals of school software.
Catholic and independent schools
Catholic Education South Australia covers the Archdiocese of Adelaide and the Diocese of Port Pirie. Check with CESA whether new platforms and AI tools are approved centrally.
No public AISSA guidance on AI was found as at October 2026; independent schools set their own policies.
Both sectors follow the federal Privacy Act, and the ISA/NCEC Privacy Compliance Manual (April 2025) suggests a privacy impact assessment for each AI system.
Using Descant within these rules
Until the Department confirms that an AI tool other than EdChat may process identified student information, SA government schools use Descant with AI off.
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 SA 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 SA 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 the staff AI guidance bar entering identified student information or audio into any AI tool other than EdChat, including a contracted, Australian-hosted tool that does not train on data?
- Is there an approval pathway for third-party software with built-in AI? Who runs it, and how long does it take?
- Does a school-initiated purchase trigger the Department's SACSF cloud risk assessment, or does the school do it?
- Is parent consent required for AI processing of student wellbeing information or session audio?
- Are there limits on AI drafting documents shared with families?
Contact: [email protected].
Sources
Each source was read on 18 October 2026. Dates are those shown on the page or document.
- Artificial intelligence (AI) in schools: information for parents and carers (updated 17 October 2025)
- EdChat (updated 24 August 2026)
- Safe use of digital technologies and online environments in ECEC policy (PDF) (v1.4, approved 30 April 2026)
- Department for Education Annual Report 2025 (presented 31 March 2026)
- SACSF Guideline 18.0: Cloud Security (read 18 October 2026)
- SACSF Guideline 2.0: suppliers using the SACSF (read 18 October 2026)
- SACSF Ruling 2.1: offshore data storage and processing (in force for new arrangements from 1 January 2025)
- Privacy Committee of South Australia: privacy breach notification (updated 12 June 2025)
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, Western Australian schools, Tasmanian schools, Northern Territory schools, ACT schools.