As artificial intelligence is increasingly being incorporated into students’ everyday lives outside of the classroom, we must ensure that this should not replace qualified experts responsible for providing mental and behavioral health care to our students. Automated systems can generate inaccurate or unsafe advice, lack professional judgment, and cannot properly recognize or respond to a student in crisis. Pennsylvania students deserve access to qualified school counselors, psychologists, and social workers, not automated systems attempting to replicate their care.
 
As the minority chair of the Communications and Technology Committee, I intended to introduce legislation in the near future addressing this matter. This Senate bill is a companion to forthcoming House legislation by Rep. Shusterman. It would prohibit schools from using AI to provide mental or behavioral health services that would otherwise be performed by qualified mental health professionals. However, the legislation would not prohibit these mental health professionals from using AI for routine administrative functions like scheduling, organizing records, and managing files.
 
When a student is struggling, they should be able to rely on trusted adults at school. Technology should support, not substitute, those relationships at the heart of student mental health care. Please consider joining me in co-sponsoring this legislation to ensure that technology remains a tool for educators and mental health professionals rather than a replacement.