New York City, home to the nation's largest school system with over one million students, is poised to announce sweeping restrictions on artificial intelligence in classrooms — rules that education leaders nationwide will be watching closely.

The Policy

Under the new guidelines expected to be released Wednesday by Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the Department of Education:

- Preschool through 8th grade: All student-facing generative AI tools are banned. This includes chatbots, AI tutors, and any education software that uses AI. Nearly 600,000 students are affected. - Preschool through 2nd grade: Students will not be given individual devices in class, though smart boards remain permitted. - Grades 3-5: Screen time on individual devices is limited to 30 minutes per day. - Middle school: Screen time is capped at 45 minutes per day. - High school: Students will have restricted access to AI, including potential use for literacy and career readiness programs, and participation in five pilot programs at an unspecified number of schools.

What Teachers Can and Cannot Do

Teachers will be allowed to use approved AI tools for instructional tasks such as lesson planning, translation, and drafting communications. However, they will be strictly prohibited from using AI for grading, behavior monitoring, counseling, or developing special education plans.

"Younger students need hands-on learning, social interaction, play, and teacher-guided instruction," Education Department officials wrote in an internal presentation obtained by Chalkbeat. "Routine individual screen use can crowd out those experiences."

A Policy Born from Backlash

The city's initial AI guidance, unveiled in March 2026, used a traffic-light framework to categorize AI risk levels. That approach drew swift and fierce backlash from parent groups, with thousands signing a petition calling for an AI moratorium in schools. More than half of City Council members signed a letter urging the mayor and schools chancellor to pause AI use, citing concerns about learning and mental health.

Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels acknowledged in May that the city had "missed the mark" with its initial guidance. In July, Samuels ordered schools to pause software purchases pending the new policy, creating headaches for principals who worried they would lack key systems like electronic gradebooks when students returned on September 10.

The city is creating a task force to provide input on policy implementation going forward. Exceptions will be made for standard reading and math assessments, as well as for English language learners and students with disabilities.

National Implications

The restrictions are among the most aggressive any US city has taken against AI in schools, arriving as educators across the country grapple with how to manage fast-changing technology. "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 department's presentation states.

Sources