Staff Reports
Artificial Intelligence has many uses. It can help healthcare workers catch diseases early or help businesses detect fraud.
In the education world, striking a balance between helpful and harmful A.I. use is tricky. A.I. can personalize learning and help teachers complete paperwork faster, but it also creates easy opportunities for cheating and data privacy risks.
So how do schools strike that perfect balance of benefiting teachers and students’ lives, and still making sure students receive a worthwhile education?
Students from all 50 states recently came up with a solution.
Students representing all 50 states have developed a sweeping national framework for the responsible use of artificial intelligence in K-12 education, proposing protections for authentic learning, student privacy, fairness, human judgment, and the relationships at the heart of education.
The “STUDENTS FIRST Act of 2026” was created at America’s Youth A.I. Festival, a first-of-its-kind gathering that took place July 17-19 on the UMass Boston and MIT campuses. Select students participated in a “National A.I. Student Senate” which replicated the Senate process, in an exact model of the Senate chamber at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate.
The “Student Senators” were divided into subcommittees to create, debate, and vote on a comprehensive bill that represented their thoughts, views, and hopes for the future of A.I. in public schools.
The effort was organized by Day of AI; MIT RAISE; AASA, The School Superintendents Association; and the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the U.S. Senate. The Act, which passed by a vote of 82-16, would:
Require A.I.-literacy instruction when students first use digital devices in school
Prohibit students from using A.I. to complete artistic assignments or generate written assignments
Starting in ninth grade, allow students to use A.I.—with teacher permission—as a supplementary aid for brainstorming, studying, and editing
Give students the right to appeal accusations of improper A.I. use and require meaningful human review
Prevent schools from using A.I. to profile students or independently determine grades, discipline, or hiring
Allow students to demonstrate subject matter mastery through oral defenses, handwritten assessments, or in-person discussions
Protect sensitive student information and establish transparency around data collection
Preserve the right of high school students and educators to decline A.I. use in appropriate circumstances
The student-authored proposal rejects an outright ban on A.I., or its unrestricted adoption. Instead, it establishes clear boundaries around when AI can support education, and when original student work, professional judgment, and human connection must remain paramount. As the STUDENTS FIRST Act of 2026 states, educators should avoid A.I. use in situations where “human connection is irreplaceable in the learning environment.”
“This is written by students, for students,” Day of A.I. Executive Director Jeff Riley said. “Students from across the country examined the benefits and risks of A.I., debated difficult tradeoffs, and developed a serious framework that education leaders can now evaluate, test, and strengthen.”
Locally, Gallup-McKinley County Schools doesn’t currently have an A.I. policy in place, although school officials say they are currently working on one.
