New York City’s public school system is set to release a policy for this coming school year on artificial intelligence — which will include a ban on the use of generative AI for students in 2-K through 8th grade, the Daily News has learned.
The new rules mean that no children in preschool, elementary school and middle school should have access to education software that uses student-facing AI, including instructional programs and AI tutors. The prohibition covers nearly 600,000 public school students, or two-thirds of the system’s total enrollment.
The policy also bans individual devices in the classroom for preschool and the earlier grades of elementary school.
It wasn’t immediately clear how the new policy would be enforced. The city’s Department of Education did not immediately return a request for comment.
“Younger students need hands-on learning, social interaction, play and teacher-guided instruction. Routine individual screen use can crowd out those experiences,” read official New York City Public School slides shared in a series of briefings on Tuesday afternoon obtained by The News.
“By contrast, high school students need guided preparation for a world and economy increasingly driven by AI and new technologies — paired with instruction on how AI works, its biases and risks, and how to evaluate its outputs.”
The school system also plans to bring together teachers, parents, elected officials and unions for a coalition that “will help us shape our policy for 2027-2028 and beyond,” the slides said. The meetings are expected to begin later this month after members are confirmed.
In high school, the use of AI in classrooms will be “restricted,” according to the slides. The new technology may be used in a limited way, including for AI literacy, career and certification programs, and five approved pilot programs in select schools.
“All use must be coupled with teacher supervision… and the necessity for students to retain ownership of their thinking and work,” the slides added. “Pilot tools will not replace teachers.”
The AI policy is coming months late as intense pressure from parents and teachers forced the school system to delay its timeline.
But the final rules are set to go even further, governing not only generative AI but also screen time, particularly in the younger grades.
According to the slides, the school system will prohibit one-to-one screen time for 2-K through second grade. Education officials also recommended no more than 30 minutes of individual device-use by students in the third through fifth grade, and 45 minutes for sixth through eighth grade. Screen time in high school may vary across schools and subject matter.
The policy contains exemptions for assistive technology used by students with disabilities or learning English as a new language; short assessments and diagnostic tests; remote learning days; and some instructional programs approved by the school system, such as e-books, robotics, coding and simulations, the slides said.
Education officials released a first draft in March, with a final policy due a few months later in June. But the plan prompted fierce backlash over a lack of guardrails for children’s use of AI.
The draft largely focused on how teachers and principals should approach AI, but glossed over how to stop students from offloading their critical thinking skills and creativity to the new technology.
Parents descended on monthly school board meetings and protested outside City Hall. An online petition that called for a two-year moratorium on AI in schools received more than 6,000 signatures. The City Council took heed, and a majority of members signed onto a letter in support of an immediate pause.
During a high-profile council hearing, school officials conceded they were going to miss their own deadline, but promised to issue a final policy before the first day of school. Meanwhile, principals were told to pause new education technology purchases as the school system hashed out the much-delayed guidance.
Backlash grew this summer after an upstate New York school district purchased an AI-powered robot — giving ammunition to parents and unions’ worst fears that the new technology could replace teachers. A plan to deploy the robot in the classroom is now on pause.