Commentary: Setting guidelines for using AI in the classroom

Annie Chestnut Tutor and Jonathan Butcher, The Heritage Foundation on Oct 29, 2026

Published in Op Eds

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

Teachers are doing their best to guide student use of artificial intelligence, but it’s clear that some boundaries are desperately needed.

Stop signs are common. Before the start of this school year, New York City officials banned the use of generative AI for public preschools through eighth grade, and Los Angeles educators banned access to generative AI platforms on school devices for all grade levels.

Parents seem to agree: In recent polls, 75% of them reported supporting pausing AI in schools. But a nearly identical share of respondents (73%) say children already use AI for schoolwork. The technology is here, and let’s face it: Pauses aren’t a long-term solution. Teachers and children need clear guidelines.

AI, after all, is embedded in many online platforms. Alphabet (Google’s parent company) has offered discounted Chromebooks to schools since at least 2011, and Gemini is included in Google’s Chrome web browser. Since Google does not allow its AI summaries or chatbot to be turned off, Fairfax County Public Schools developed its own plug-in to block Google AI search results.

School districts across the country are deciding which forms of AI to ban and for which grade levels, but those choosing to use AI would do well to consider proactive uses of the technology and methods for responsible integration.

State lawmakers must define academic standards and adopt appropriate guardrails for responsible use of AI in classrooms. At its worst, students use AI for companionship in place of friends and to do their homework or write their essays. At its best, students use AI to find, collect, and distill information and identify errors in their own work. AI learning platforms can measure student proficiency in a lesson and build exercises according to their level, following teacher-led instruction.

Even New York City’s restrictions are not banning all forms of AI at the lower grades. City officials allow for the use of programs such as Quill, which helps students with reading comprehension and research and Edia, a math program.

The Heritage Foundation developed model legislation for AI in schools that allows for responsible use of AI in classrooms. The model prioritizes human-centered learning and oversight, transparency, safety and data security. Schools should not be required to adopt AI into lesson plans, but for those that do, educators should help students recognize the difference between getting assistance with homework questions and plagiarism.

State lawmakers should respect parent rights and require schools to obtain parent consent for AI use. Educators should offer parents and students alternatives when families choose to opt out. AI vendors should not gather student data for targeted advertising or sell or rent this information.

Likewise, educators must adhere to state and federal privacy laws such as the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.

While school officials can allow generative AI programs, teachers should prohibit the use of AI companions that mimic personal relationships. Romantic conversations or simulated friendships do not have academic use and interfere with children’s social skills and healthy development.

Florida recently adopted rules for AI in schools that are consistent with many of these provisions. State officials recognize that teachers and students can use AI effectively and banning AI will not eliminate the use of large language models (LLMs) but cause the activity to go unmonitored. If AI use goes underground, the potential for cheating increases, with potentially disastrous consequences for student learning.

Lawmakers should use lessons already available in research and in the media on effective and ineffective uses of technology to advance policy ideas dedicated to protecting student privacy and promoting student learning. Educators can harness the benefits that come from new technologies like AI to help students extend their abilities and not erase them.

State officials should adopt thoughtfully designed boundaries for student and teacher use of AI, including restrictions on non-academic uses of AI. These provisions can allow teachers to blend AI into instructional guidance and help prepare students for the future. AI is part of that future, so let’s use it to our advantage.

____

Annie Chestnut Tutor is a Policy Analyst for the Center for Technology and the Human Person at The Heritage Foundation. Jonathan Butcher is Acting Director of the Heritage Foundation’s Center for Education Policy.

_____