Back-to-school policy is no longer staying in board packets and legal filings. It is showing up in the software children can use, the school applications families must complete, the campuses that may stay open, and the rules that govern safety and student rights.
If a school says AI is helping staff work faster, parents should ask where the tool touches student records, grades, special education, behavior, or mental health.
New York City is limiting AI before families know all the details
New York City will ban student-facing generative AI tools in preschool through eighth grade classrooms for at least the coming school year, while allowing limited AI use in high school, Chalkbeat reported. The city also plans screen-time limits for younger students, with no individual laptops or other devices for preschool through second grade, a recommended 30-minute daily limit in grades 3-5, and a recommended 45-minute limit in middle school, according to Chalkbeat.
The policy is broad, but the implementation is still fuzzy. Officials said they are disabling AI features in 38 software programs already used in city schools, but they have not shared the list of products, Chalkbeat found. The city said assistive and language-support technologies tied to particular needs for students with disabilities and English learners will be exempt, and required reading and math assessments taken on computers to track progress will also be exceptions, Chalkbeat reported.
If your child uses a reading platform, math program, translation tool, or assistive technology, the question worth asking is not simply whether AI is banned. Ask whether your child’s specific tool is changing, whether an AI feature is being turned off, and whether the school has an alternative ready.
High school families have a different set of questions. New York City will allow five approved generative AI pilot programs for a maximum of 50,000 high school students, or roughly 17% of all high school students, and all high school students must take two annual AI literacy lessons of 45 minutes each, Chalkbeat reported. Teachers may use AI to help plan lessons, translate materials, or draft communications, but the city bars using it for grading, behavior monitoring, special education planning, or student mental health support, according to Chalkbeat.
That line matters. If a school says AI is helping staff work faster, parents should ask where the tool touches student records, grades, special education, behavior, or mental health.
Some parents are taking classroom technology to court
The technology fight is not only about AI. Seven families in the 8,500-student Lower Merion School District in a Philadelphia suburb sued the district in federal court after it stopped allowing families to opt children out of using the internet, The 74 reported. The district adopted a technology policy on Aug. 17 that limits device use in elementary school and does not assign laptops or iPads to students until fifth grade, but the board had ended an earlier rule letting parents decline internet-connected devices for their children, according to The 74.
The district said it denies the allegations and will respond through the judicial process, The 74 reported. Stacy Hawthorne, board chair for the Consortium for School Networking, told The 74, “Courts generally have not given individual families a veto over a district’s instructional or technology policies.”
For families outside Lower Merion, the lawsuit is still a signal. If your district is tightening screen rules but not offering opt-outs, the live issue may be less about one app and more about who gets the final say when technology is part of instruction.
Philadelphia families have a new school selection calendar
Philadelphia’s school selection process will open later than planned, beginning Oct. 5 at 4 p.m. and closing Nov. 24, Chalkbeat reported. Superintendent Tony Watlington had told families in a back-to-school letter that the process was scheduled to open Sept. 8, but the district postponed it while waiting for state officials to finalize standardized test scores, according to Chalkbeat.
The district said the delay is meant to ensure families have official, verified 2026 assessment data when making school choices, Chalkbeat reported. Students will use both their 2025 assessment results and official 2026 data as part of applications this year, and the district said families do not need to take action regarding 2026 assessment scores at this time, according to Chalkbeat.
If your child is applying to a criteria-based school, put the new dates somewhere you will actually see them. The district may be handling the score submission later, but families still have to manage the application window.
Denver avoided school closures this year, but ratings still matter
Denver Public Schools is not closing schools this year through its new policy for campuses with persistent low performance, because four schools that were at risk improved their state ratings, Chalkbeat reported. The preliminary ratings released by the Colorado Department of Education are largely based on state test scores, according to Chalkbeat.
John F. Kennedy High, Oakland Elementary, Rocky Mountain Prep Noel, and Academy 360 avoided a closure recommendation, Chalkbeat reported. Three other schools — Ashley Elementary, Cheltenham Elementary, and Traylor Academy — received preliminary orange ratings that would be their third straight year of low ratings, and could be at risk next fall if those ratings stick and they earn orange or red ratings next fall, according to Chalkbeat.
If your child attends a school on an improvement track, do not wait for the word closure to appear. Ask what the rating is, whether the school plans to appeal, and what changes families should expect if the rating does not improve.
Safety and student-rights cases are still moving
California lawmakers reached a deal on Senate Bill 577 that rejects caps on damages in childhood sexual assault lawsuits against public bodies, including school districts, while requiring older survivors to present stronger evidence in some cases, The 74 reported. The bill would also make counties, cities, and school districts prepare conduct rules and sexual assault prevention plans for submission to the California attorney general’s office by Jan. 1, 2028, according to The 74.
In another California case, a federal judge threw out the U.S. Justice Department’s lawsuit challenging state policies that allow transgender athletes to compete on school sports teams matching their gender identity, Education Week reported. U.S. District Judge Cynthia Valenzuela found that Title IX did not clearly require California to bar transgender girls from girls’ teams and sex-separated facilities, according to Education Week.