A new public opinion poll released this week indicates a strong bipartisan desire among Americans for stricter regulations regarding artificial intelligence (AI) use in K-12 classrooms. The research, conducted by The Century Foundation (TCF), found that a significant majority of voters believe the federal government has been too slow to address the increasing presence of AI tools in schools.
The poll, which surveyed 2,002 registered voters across the U.S. from May 21-24, revealed that 77% of all respondents want stronger rules to limit AI use in schools or for the government to establish clearer standards. This sentiment was consistent across the political spectrum, with 76% of Democrats and 80% of Republicans supporting such measures. TCF President Julie Margetta Morgan noted the widespread nature of concerns, stating that over 80% of those polled worried about students using AI for assignments, preparing for the job market with AI, and the technology’s impact on student mental health.
Despite these public concerns, the current administration has largely adopted a hands-off approach to regulating educational AI. Last year, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at promoting AI adoption among students and teachers, emphasizing the integration of AI into education and fostering an AI-ready workforce. This order established the Presidential Artificial Intelligence Challenge and the White House Task Force on AI Education, which has met at least three times, with the most recent public information shared in December 2025.
The Department of Education has provided some guidelines for states and localities seeking federal grants for AI use in classrooms, but officials have generally argued that specific rules should be developed at the state and local levels. Assistant Secretary of Elementary and Secondary Education Kirsten Baesler stated that decisions on technology use are best made by states and local communities with input from parents and teachers.
Existing federal laws like the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) from 1974 and the Childrens Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) from 1998 govern student privacy, but privacy advocates argue these laws contain loopholes in the context of modern AI. These laws primarily protect personally identifiable information, allowing companies to train AI models on anonymized student data without violation. Additionally, COPPA permits schools to grant consent for classroom technology on behalf of parents, giving districts broad authority to approve AI tools if data is used strictly for educational purposes.
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon acknowledged the need to embrace AI but stressed the importance of guardrails, stating that AI cannot replace a teacher. She also suggested that parents should have the option to opt their children out of using AI tools if they are not seeing positive outcomes.
