Overview
- Randi Weingarten laid out the plan in a nearly hour-long speech at the National Press Club on Wednesday calling for national action to curb classroom screens and regulate AI.
- The proposal seeks bans on school-issued devices for prekindergarten through second grade and prohibits student-facing AI chatbots in elementary classrooms.
- The AFT wants new, enforceable safety and privacy standards for AI used in K–12 schools and an independent research consortium to study effects of screens and AI on learning.
- The union’s move follows its year-old National Academy for AI Instruction funded by Microsoft, OpenAI, and Anthropic, and Weingarten said those companies have agreed in principle to safety standards while an AFT spokesperson clarified the firms were not asked about a proposed tech tax.
- If adopted by districts or lawmakers the plan could reshape classroom practice by restoring hands-on teaching time, prompt stricter procurement rules for edtech, and require new research and funding to study student well-being and learning outcomes