In March of 2026, New York City began to place new rules regarding the usage of AI within the city’s public schools. These rules affect both the students and teachers, and were framed using a “traffic light” format. The rules are preliminary as of now, and will go through a 45 day feedback period. On May 8, 2026, the city will evaluate how these rules affected learning and curriculum and adjust as needed.
The new guidelines have been announced about three-years after the city banned the usage of ChatGPT in any education-related setting. Since the temporary bans, discussions have been held regarding student and teacher privacy, the effect AI may have on student’s learning and their development, and if private technology companies should be introduced into the city’s educational system. As a result of the continuous advancements of AI, the Department of Education announced on March 24, 2026 guidance on how the technology can be used by both students and teachers. The department noted within this announcement that there is no replacement of the teacher by using AI, but the platforms can be used as assistance in certain settings.
This preliminary framework was announced in a “traffic light” concept to showcase what areas are approved for AI usage and which areas it will be prohibited. The red light portion is where AI is prohibited by all individuals within the educational system, and the greenlight portion is where AI has been approved to be utilized. For situations that will need further surveillance or cautiously approached, they have been placed in the yellowlight portion. The city is using this framework to clearly state which areas have been approved to use AI for assistance, and to prevent any misuse of the technology.
Students are allowed to use AI in their assignments or projects for brainstorming, research, and creative design, but have to use the technology with caution. They must be supervised in the classroom while using AI, and the tools they use must be approved by the school and the Enterprise Request Management Application. Students cannot use AI in place of actual thought or critical thinking skills, and will not be utilized for exams or tests. It will also be closely monitored that students are not copying and pasting information from AI generated sources.
For teachers, they are fully approved to use AI to brainstorm and generate lesson plans or units, drafting emails, scheduling and formating, translating non-critical communication for non-English speaking students, and professional development. They do not need to be supervised or approached with caution for these tasks, as they fall under the greenlight portion of the overall framework. However, they do need to use caution or be supervised to use AI with student or school data, critical forms of communication, and translating student materials. The red light portion for teachers includes decisions about students, IEP and 504 planning, grading, or care and counseling.
The framework is set to be rolled out in NYC public schools between now and June 2026. When the feedback period is completed, the guidelines will be revised and a final draft will be released before the beginning of the 2026-2027 school year.
