New York City’s public school system has issued its first systemwide rules for using artificial intelligence in classrooms. The guidance applies to nearly 1,600 schools and more than 1.1 million students across the five boroughs.
What Teachers Can and Cannot Do
Under the new framework, teachers may use AI to generate lesson ideas, assist with research, and draft communications. However, they may not use it to grade student work or determine disciplinary action.
The guidance follows a “traffic light” framework designed to help educators make decisions about which AI applications are appropriate. Green uses include brainstorming, organizing, creating initial drafts of communications, and scheduling. Red uses include grading, counseling, behavioral monitoring, and drafting Individualized Education Programs or accommodation plans.
The guidance also encourages teachers to use AI for lesson and unit planning, teacher training, scheduling, and supporting students with disabilities or those who do not speak English at home. However, any translations or disability accommodations must be reviewed by qualified staff.
Rules for AI Tools in Schools
Before any AI product can be used in a classroom, it must go through a data privacy and security vetting process called the Enterprise Request Management Application. This review process applies to all third-party technology tools, including free ones.
The guidance defines personally identifiable information broadly, covering names, student ID numbers, grades, disability status, and images. Officials acknowledged that the current review process does not yet evaluate AI tools for algorithmic bias or instructional effectiveness, but the system has committed to building that expanded capacity.
The guidance also notes that the appropriate role of AI differs across grade levels — K through 5, 6 through 8, and 9 through 12. New York City Public Schools is developing separate guidance for each group, taking into account developmental appropriateness, screen time, and the balance between AI-supported and independent work.
What Comes Next
The city invited families, educators, and school leaders to provide feedback on the guidance through May 8, 2026. A more detailed AI Playbook was planned for release in June 2026.
Education officials emphasized that AI is not a replacement for classroom teachers, but a tool to support learning, research, and planning. “Our students do not need technology for its own sake,” the guidance stated. “They need accurate instruction, meaningful practice and adults who know them well enough to decide when AI belongs in their learning, and when it does not.”
The New York City policy is being watched closely by school districts across the country. Many systems are facing the same questions about privacy, fairness, and student readiness. For families and educators, understanding exactly where the boundaries are is not just a policy issue — it is a practical one that shapes what happens inside classrooms every single day. That makes this a useful model to study, whatever comes next.
