America's Two Largest School Districts Impose AI Moratoriums

New York City and Los Angeles, the nation's two largest school districts, have imposed new restrictions on artificial intelligence in schools for the 2026-27 school year—NYC banning student-facing AI in K-8th grade classes and LAUSD implementing a one-year moratorium on generative AI use for all 378,000 of its students. These moves represent a significant shift from the districts' previous more permissive approaches to AI adoption and were driven by sustained pressure from parents, teachers, and student advocacy groups. The decisions come nearly four years after both districts initially blocked ChatGPT access in late 2022 before later relaxing those restrictions.