Schools, districts, and education policy in New York.
New York City Public Schools has confirmed a one-year moratorium on student-facing generative AI for preschool through middle school, affecting nearly 600,000 students, while high schoolers will have limited access for AI literacy and pilot programs.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani's team is ending a T-Mobile data plan tied to a $330 million Chromebook program before the school year starts. Schools are being told to buy $10-per-student Verizon service instead.
The Board of Regents approved regulations requiring instruction across all grade bands, starting in 2026-27 for personal finance and 2027-28 for climate education, with districts allowed to use embedded or stand-alone courses.
The Board of Regents adopted the Portrait of a Graduate in July 2025. Regents exams will no longer be required for graduation starting Fall 2027, with full competency-based implementation for the 2029 cohort. The plan remains subject to regulatory approval.
Third-grade proficiency fell nearly 14 points after a double-digit gain the year before. The swing has testing experts questioning whether the state exam is measuring real change.
State Sen. Shelley Mayer's S.10671 would prohibit AI-enabled humanoid robots from instruction, tutoring, and assessment. The bill requires districts to adopt policies on robot use. It follows the Salamanca district pausing its robot pilot after state education commissioner concerns.
A Realbotix humanoid robot named Sally will assist in Salamanca High School's STEAM program this fall. The state teachers union says the robot, built by a company tied to adult products, has no place in classrooms.
New data from the NYC Department of Education shows that about 3.5% of offers went to Black students and 6.5% to Latino students, while Asian American students received 56.5% and white students 23.5%.
Chancellor Samuels directed principals to halt new tech buys until revised AI rules arrive, following backlash to a March draft that drew 6,500 public comments. Central staff will review pending orders, and some may be denied.
