New York City Public Schools and Los Angeles Unified School District — the nation’s two largest districts — have been in the spotlight lately as they both imposed bans last week on students using artificial intelligence tools for the 2026-27 school year.
The pause on AI tools comes amid public concerns over the technology’s ability to safeguard student data and well-being as well as questions about whether AI can actually improve learning outcomes. The push for an AI moratorium in both New York City and Los Angeles stemmed from grassroots advocacy groups organized by parents, community members and teachers in each school system.
Some ed tech experts are fearful about ripple effects these AI policies will have in other districts nationwide.
Even as these concerns mount, school systems are continuing to explore ways to support successful implementation of AI tools with guardrails and teacher training. Ed tech experts, however, told senators in a June congressional hearing that the federal resources are lacking to help districts here.
As we continue to keep a close eye on where K-12 AI policies are heading, K-12 Dive compiled recent key stories in the runup to the monumental changes in New York City and Los Angeles.
