Every Major AI-in-Schools Policy of 2026, Compared

In 2026, at least six major AI-in-schools policy actions reshaped the conversation: NYC's moratorium (Sept 2), LA Unified's device restriction (Sept), Norway's national ban for ages 6-13 (June, effective August), Ohio's mandatory district-policy law (deadline July 1), Chicago's candidate pledge (Sept), and a 150-organization call for a five-year pause (April). Nearly all of them draw the same line: restrict what students interact with directly, preserve or make room for what supports teachers.

Every Major AI-in-Schools Policy of 2026, Compared in One Place

This is a reference piece. If you need to compare what's actually happened in AI-and-schools policy this year in one place, rather than piecing it together from a dozen news cycles, here's every major action, in chronological order.

The full 2026 timeline

Date	Action	Scope	Duration	Teacher use
Jan 2026	Ohio DEW releases model AI policy	All Ohio public districts	Ongoing	Not restricted; policy covers acceptable use, FERPA, vendor vetting
Apr 16, 2026	150+ orgs, 200+ experts call for pause (Fairplay-organized)	Advocacy, not policy	5-year ask	Not addressed directly; focused on student-facing products
Apr 29, 2026	NYC Panel for Educational Policy marathon meeting	Advocacy pressure, not policy	-	-
May 2026	Gallup/Walton: only 18% of teachers get formal AI guidance	National survey	-	Reveals the guidance gap policy is responding to
Jun 2026	Norway restricts AI for ages 6-13; supervised 14-16	National	Ongoing from Aug 2026	Not restricted; framed around foundational skill-building
Jun 2026	NPR/Ipsos poll: 60% of teachers say AI erodes trust	National survey	-	Reveals the trust gap policy is responding to
Jul 1, 2026	Ohio's district AI policy deadline takes effect	All Ohio public districts	Ongoing	Governed by district policy, not banned
Aug 26, 2026	Lower Merion device lawsuit filed	One PA district	Ongoing litigation	Not AI-specific; devices generally
Sep 1, 2026	23/45 Chicago board candidates sign 3-year AI ban pledge	Candidate pledge, not policy	3-year ask if enacted	Included in the ban - stricter than NYC/LAUSD
Sep 2, 2026	NYC announces one-year moratorium	~600,000 students, grades 2-K–8	1 year	Explicitly permitted for planning
Sep 2026	LA Unified suspends student AI on district devices	2nd-largest US district, all grades	Through 2026-27, under review	Not the focus of the restriction

The pattern, stated once, that explains most of the table

With one notable exception (the Chicago candidate pledge, which asks for a ban on both students and teachers), every enacted or proposed policy above draws the same line: restrict generative AI a student interacts with directly; preserve or make room for AI that supports a teacher's planning, diagnosis, or instructional decisions.

That's true across a US mega-city, the second-largest US school district, a national government, and a state's mandatory policy framework - four different governing structures, working independently, arriving at essentially the same distinction.

The exception worth watching

Chicago's candidate pledge is the one entry in this table that doesn't fit the pattern - it asks for a ban on AI use by teachers too, not just students. It hasn't been enacted (it's a pre-election candidate commitment), and Chicago's own district leadership has pushed back on it. But if a broad ban like this gains traction anywhere it's actually implemented, it would be the first real break from the teacher-facing/student-facing split every other major 2026 policy has settled on - worth monitoring specifically, not assuming it stays a Chicago-only outlier.

What this table is useful for

If you're writing a board presentation, a parent communication, or your own school's AI policy, this is the citation list: six independent, dated policy actions, all pointing at the same underlying distinction. That's a stronger evidentiary basis for a "teacher-facing AI, not student-facing" policy than any single example, because it shows the pattern rather than one data point.

See Teacher-Facing AI in Action.

FAQ

What are the major AI-in-schools policies enacted in 2026?

NYC's one-year student-facing AI moratorium (Sept 2), LA Unified's district-wide student device restriction (Sept), Norway's national restriction for ages 6-13 (effective Aug), and Ohio's mandatory district AI policy law (deadline July 1).

Do any of these ban AI for teachers as well as students?

Most don't - NYC, LA Unified, Norway, and Ohio's frameworks all preserve or don't restrict teacher use. The exception is Chicago's candidate pledge, which asks for a ban covering both students and teachers, though it isn't enacted policy.

Is there a common pattern across these 2026 policies?

Yes. With the exception of the Chicago pledge, every major policy restricts AI a student interacts with directly while preserving or making room for AI that supports teachers - reached independently across different governing structures.

Where can I find the original sources for each policy?

See the Sources section below, which links directly to the official announcement or primary reporting for each entry in the comparison table.

Every Major AI-in-Schools Policy of 2026, Compared