School board candidates split on AI use limits
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A Chicago Public Schools parent group is asking school board candidates to sign a pledge limiting AI use in the district. So far, about half of all board contenders have signed.
Why it matters: The effort, led by Illinois Families for Public Schools (IFPS), could have a major impact on the way Chicago students learn this year.
Between the lines: The mixed reaction from candidates reflects a broader divide across the nation on the controversial technology, especially when it comes to shaping young minds.
Zoom in: The IFPS' "Human-Centered Education Pledge" asks potential board members to:
- Enact a three-year moratorium on generative AI use, citing a 2026 Brookings report that concluded, "the [current] risks of utilizing generative AI in children’s education overshadow its benefits."
- Appoint a chief privacy officer to "ensure that student privacy is fully protected at all times."
- Limit screen time in all grades, "including a ban on 1:1 digital device use before third grade."
- Prohibit the collection of biometric information, unless it's to fulfill access laws for students with disabilities.
What they're saying: "CPS is on the verge of putting an AI chatbot onto every high school student’s Chromebook that can do their homework for them," CPS parent and IFPS executive director Cassie Creswell tells Axios.
- "Kindergarteners are using an AI literacy 'tutor' that records their speech. We need Board members who are ready to put into place clear and protective policies on the role of tech in schools—not just for screen time but also generative AI use and how students’ personal, private data is being collected and used."
The other side: "The claims cited are inaccurate and highly misleading. The District is not installing AI chatbots for high schoolers' use," CPS spokesperson Mary Ann Fergus wrote to Axios, adding that CPS explains its approach in this guidebook.
- "K-8th grade students in many CPS elementary schools are utilizing the evidence-based Amira Learning program, an AI-supported, reading tutoring platform…It is misleading to characterize this tool as anything other than a supplemental resource used within the District’s online policies."
State of play: So far the pledge has been signed by most Chicago Teachers Union-backed candidates as well as some not affiliated with the union, including Che "Rhymefest" Smith and Jessica Biggs.
Yes, but: Board president candidate Victor Henderson won't sign the pledge because he worries it will hamper student knowledge of the technology.
- "I would insist that CPS move carefully, transparently, and responsibly," he tells Axios. " We should protect our children while preparing them for the world they are entering.”
Zoom out: Last month the Illinois State Board of Education released a 400- page guide for AI use that does not call for a moratorium on generative AI use but stresses:
- The importance of human relationships in teaching and learning.
- Schools serve academic, developmental, and civic purposes concurrently.
- AI is a means to inform teaching and learning rather than an end in itself.
- Informed use requires deliberate, context-sensitive and locally determined purpose.
What we're watching: How other candidates for school board president respond to the pledge request.
- Axios reached out to Jennifer Custer and Sendhil Revuluri on the question and did not hear back.