29 House Republicans ask Education Department to curb AI guidance

In short: A group of 29 Republican members of Congress is urging the U.S. Department of Education to take a more cautious approach to AI in schools as the department updates its guidance.

What happened

Twenty nine House Republicans sent a request to the Department of Education asking it to be more restrictive and skeptical about artificial intelligence tools in classrooms. Their pushback comes while the department is rolling out updated guidance for teachers and school leaders.

The department’s Office of Educational Technology recently released a 74 page AI toolkit for K to 12 schools. It is meant to help leaders decide whether to use AI, how to set rules, and how to reduce risks. Those risks include student privacy, security, and civil rights, which are protections that aim to prevent discrimination.

At the same time, the department sent a “Dear Colleague Letter,” which is a formal note that explains how schools can use existing federal grant money. The letter says grants may support some AI related uses, like instructional materials, tutoring, and college and career advising, as long as schools follow the law and protect privacy. The department has also proposed making “advancing AI in education” a grant priority, which could shape which projects get extra attention in future funding competitions.

Why it matters

This debate can affect what tools teachers are encouraged to use, and what guardrails schools must put in place. Think of the federal guidance like a set of recommended seatbelts and speed limits for new classroom software. More congressional scrutiny could mean stricter privacy checks, clearer rules for families, and possibly new limits on how student data is shared with vendors.

Source: NYTimes