A heated debate over artificial intelligence in classrooms dominated a District 20 town hall Monday evening in Bay Ridge, where parents and educators pressed city officials on safety, privacy and the role of technology in learning.
About 100 attendees gathered at William McKinley IS 259 for the event, hosted by Community Education Council 20, to question Chancellor Kamar Samuels about the Department of Education’s newly released AI guidelines.
The discussion comes as school systems across the country grapple with how to regulate AI tools such as ChatGPT and classroom chatbots. Districts nationwide have moved from initial bans to cautious integration, prompting concerns about academic integrity, data privacy and the long-term impact on student learning.
In New York City, those concerns are now playing out in real time.
During the hourlong meeting, several topics were raised, but AI quickly became the central focus. The DOE last week released a preliminary guideline on how schools should use the technology. Samuels said the framework is intended to keep pace with rapid adoption.
"AI is here and it's not stopping," Chancellor Samuels said. "There are our young people using AI tools already, and many of our schools are also using AI tools, and it was urgent and important for us to start setting up the necessary guardrails to make sure that we are dealing with the safety of our young people."
Despite those assurances, skepticism from parents and educators remained strong.
CEC 20 member Kelly Clancy, founder of Parents for AI Caution in Educational Spaces, repeatedly challenged the DOE’s approach. Her group is calling for a two-year moratorium on AI use in schools, and CEC 20 is among the first councils to pass a resolution supporting that pause.
Clancy raised concerns about privacy protections, cognitive development and the broad scope of the guidelines.
"This parent says that when you read [the guideline], it treats privacy like it's a ceiling and not like it's a floor," Clancy said. "The way that the guidance is written is that as long as privacy is protected, almost any AI can be used, in almost any classroom in the city, with no meaningful restrictions. That is frustrating, I think, to a lot of parents."
She later said that "every single scientific and peer-reviewed study that's been published" shows AI harms cognitive development. Samuels pushed back, saying the guidelines are designed to protect students and that teachers must carefully consider how AI affects instruction.
DOE Chief Academic Officer Miatheresa Pate emphasized the department’s 45-day public feedback period, part of tPhase 2 of the DOE's pla of developing a formal AI policy.
"In the absence of no guidance, we actually lower our protection to become nonexistent," Pate said. "Although we have this period, we do need to set guardrails for educators. We need to allow families to know what we are saying is a no, is a yes, and what lies in the middle. The option for us to have nothing, there is a greater danger in that, because AI integration is here."
Concerns about chatbots also surfaced. Attendees cited a case in which a student was pulled from reading time to interact with Waggle, a chatbot created by HMH designed to support classroom instruction.
Pate said the DOE prohibits commercial chatbots because of inherent risks. Samuels said he is not concerned about technology replacing educators.
"The most sacred thing in teaching is the human interaction between a child and a teacher," he said. "And that is something I'm completely committed to securing."
Outside the auditorium, reactions reflected the divide inside.
"Nothing was answered," said one DOE teacher who asked to remain anonymous to protect her job. "Our city is fully embedded in its tech program. Our voices won't be heard. AI will further the gap between student and teacher."
Others saw value in the discussion itself.
CEC 20 member Alina Lewis said she was encouraged that residents voiced their concerns and that the DOE is engaging with the community. CEC 20 President John Riccotone said he is not overly concerned about AI, except in cases where chatbots may pose risks to students’ well-being. Former CEC 20 President Stephen Stowe said the DOE needs a policy and that a two-year moratorium is not practical.
Clancy said she was encouraged that the council was able to elevate its concerns and said she looks forward to continued conversations with the DOE.
As districts nationwide continue to test how — and whether — AI belongs in classrooms, the debate in Brooklyn underscored a broader question facing educators: how to balance innovation with caution in a rapidly changing technological landscape.
