A sweeping majority of American voters across party lines are demanding that federal policymakers establish clear rules for artificial intelligence in schools, even as the Trump administration prioritizes AI adoption over regulation. According to research from The Century Foundation (TCF), a progressive think tank, 77% of all voters polled want stricter rules to limit AI use in schools or stronger government standards for how such tools are deployed, including 76% of Democrats and 80% of Republicans.

The poll, conducted by MorningConsult from May 21-24 among 2,002 registered voters, tested concerns across multiple dimensions of AI in education. Every concern tested, from students using AI to complete assignments to worries about job market preparedness and student mental health, registered at 80% or higher. This level of agreement on a technology issue is rare in today's polarized landscape.

Why Are Parents and Teachers So Concerned About AI in Schools?

The disconnect between public concern and government action reflects a fundamental tension in how AI is already reshaping classrooms. Teachers and students acknowledge that AI tools have become ubiquitous in schools whether educators endorse them or not. "Students are using AI whether I like it or not, it's kind of the way it is now," explained Angela Hardin, a high school English teacher at Model Laboratory School in Richmond, Kentucky. One junior at Forest Hills Eastern High School in Ada, Michigan, noted the double-edged nature of the technology: "I can ask it anything, and it'll give me an answer. But I think one of the negatives is that I've become very reliant".

Privacy advocates and education researchers point to significant gaps in existing federal protections. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), enacted in 1974, and the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), passed in 1998, were designed long before generative AI existed. Both laws protect "personally identifiable information," but companies can train AI models on raw, anonymized student data without violating either law. Additionally, COPPA allows schools to grant consent on behalf of parents for classroom technology, giving districts broad authority to approve AI tools without explicit parental sign-off.

"We're really in the 'Wild West' here. With both data collection through ed-tech apps and also the use of AI, those rules aren't really equipped for modern situations. Parents and teachers are both finding that there are some places where there would be basic rules of the road, and they really don't exist," said Julie Margetta Morgan, President of The Century Foundation and former official in the Biden administration's Department of Education.

Julie Margetta Morgan, President, The Century Foundation

What Is the Trump Administration's Approach to AI in Schools?

Rather than imposing restrictions, the Trump administration has taken a decidedly pro-adoption stance. Last year, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at increasing AI adoption in schools by both students and teachers. The order established the "Presidential Artificial Intelligence Challenge" to encourage student and educator achievements in AI and foster collaboration between government, academia, philanthropy, and industry.

The administration also created the "White House Task Force on AI Education," which named senior government leaders across federal agencies to coordinate federal initiatives and public-private partnerships. The task force has met at least three times, with the most recent public information shared in December 2025, though officials have released few details about outcomes or next steps.

When asked about regulation, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon told Scripps News that officials "haven't really talked about regulating [AI]." Instead, she emphasized the need to "embrace this technology" while ensuring it has "guardrails because it's very important that we understand that AI cannot replace a teacher in the classroom". The Department of Education has argued that specific rules about AI usage should be developed at the state and local level rather than federally mandated.

How Are Universities Preparing Educators for the AI Era?

While federal policy remains uncertain, some universities are taking proactive steps to equip teachers with frameworks for responsible AI integration. Florida State University (FSU) and Wilfrid Laurier University are among institutions shaping national conversations about AI in education through research, partnerships, and practical classroom implementation.

FSU is part of Google's AI for Education Accelerator program and a Gemini for Education partner. The university recently showcased how faculty and students are integrating Gemini Notebook, a tool that restricts AI answers strictly to user-uploaded course materials and provides precise citations for every response, into coursework. During Google's Higher Ed Leader Series Conference, FSU demonstrated a custom thermodynamics notebook created by an assistant professor of chemical engineering, featuring lecture notes, course materials, and problem sets that give students an AI study tool grounded in their actual class content.

At Wilfrid Laurier University, researchers Julie Mueller and Keri Ewart developed the AIME architecture, a framework designed to help educators understand how AI systems work, their limitations, biases, and ethical risks. AIME stands for four core pillars: adaptive, inclusive, multi-literacies, and ethical/experiential. The framework guides decision-making in AI policy creation and classroom implementation while ensuring that technology enhances learning without replacing critical thinking.

"We're teaching about AI, we're teaching with AI, and we're teaching about how to teach with AI. It can get complicated," explained Julie Mueller, Professor at Wilfrid Laurier University's Faculty of Education.

Julie Mueller, Professor, Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty of Education

Mueller and Ewart partnered with other researchers, educators, and software company Mrln.ai to develop custom generative pre-trained transformers (GPTs) grounded in the AIME framework. They consulted with members of Indigenous, under-represented, and under-served communities to incorporate diverse knowledge and experiences into the models, which were also trained on Ontario Ministry of Education approved research and resources.

Steps Educators Can Take to Implement AI Responsibly

• Establish Clear Learning Objectives: Before integrating any AI tool, define what specific educational goals the technology should support, ensuring it enhances rather than replaces instruction and critical thinking.
• Prioritize Transparency and Consent: Communicate clearly with students and parents about which AI tools are being used, how student data will be handled, and provide opt-out options when feasible.
• Build Teacher Capacity Through Professional Development: Invest in training programs that help educators understand AI capabilities, limitations, biases, and ethical considerations so they can guide students in responsible use.
• Design AI Tools for Citation and Accountability: When selecting or building AI tools for classrooms, choose systems that provide transparent citations for their outputs and restrict responses to verified, curriculum-aligned sources.
• Foster Critical Engagement Over Passive Consumption: Structure assignments so students actively engage with AI as a research or brainstorming partner rather than simply copying outputs, ensuring the person doing the work is the person learning.

The gap between public demand for AI regulation and government action suggests that schools may need to develop their own governance frameworks in the near term. FSU's approach of embedding AI tools into existing coursework with built-in accountability measures and Laurier's AIME framework offer models that other institutions could adapt.

As millions of students return to classrooms equipped with AI tools, the question of who sets the rules remains unresolved. The bipartisan consensus among voters suggests that Americans expect policymakers to act, but the current administration's focus on adoption over regulation means schools and universities may lead the way in establishing ethical guardrails for now.