AFT, UFT and Microsoft Announce ‘National AI Safety & Privacy Standard’ for Schools to Protect Students, Families and Educators

NEW YORK—After months of intense negotiations and in the absence of any meaningful federal and state rules governing artificial intelligence in schools, AFT President Randi Weingarten, United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew, and Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith today announced a “National AI Safety & Privacy Standard” establishing legally enforceable protections to ensure the safety of students, families and educators. 

The first-of-its-kind agreement, on the heels of New York City Public Schools’ screens and AI ban, ensures that tech companies cannot use student data to train AI, students can never be tracked, AI cannot make decisions without human oversight, and companies must give educators and parents transparency and plain-language answers about how their tools work. U.S. school districts can incorporate these protections directly into their Microsoft customer agreements, making them contractually enforceable.

“We have forged a hard-fought, iron-clad privacy agreement with real teeth that protects students and families, because no one else, including the federal government, has stepped up to do the real work,” Weingarten said. “We can get angrier and angrier, or we can act decisively; anything less than legally enforceable provisions is simply a wish list.” 

Weingarten continued, “This agreement ensures three foundational goals: protect the privacy and data of children, give schools real control over AI tools in the classroom, and provide transparency and information to parents. And with New York City adopting our framework to ban screens and AI use in the younger years, this agreement adds to the momentum around online safety for kids and educators.”

In a May speech, “Devices Down, Eyes Up, Hands-On,” Weingarten flagged her fight for an enforceable data privacy standard and called for a total screen ban from kindergarten through second grade, a ban on student-facing AI in elementary school and a ban on social companion chat bots for students under 16. A similar framework has been adopted by the Los Angeles Unified School District, the New York State United Teachers (the AFT’s state affiliate), and last week, New York City Public Schools and Mayor Zohran Mamdani. 

“This standard sets a high bar for child privacy and AI safety, and we’ll extend this agreement to every school district across the country,” said Microsoft’s Smith. 

At its core, the agreement turns shared principles into clear, enforceable protections centered on three priorities:

Protecting Privacy: Educators, parents and students can have confidence that data remains theirs. Student and educator data will not be used to train AI models, sold or repurposed, and schools will maintain control over how data is used, retained and deleted. 

Enhancing Safety: Students and educators are protected by strong security, safeguards and human oversight. AI systems must be designed to avoid harmful or manipulative experiences, protect sensitive information, and meet rigorous standards for security, accountability and responsible use. 

Providing Transparency and Control: Families can expect clear, accessible information about how AI is being used in schools and their safeguards, including what data is collected and what protections are in place. Schools retain control over when and how AI is used, and companies need to communicate clearly about product changes, risks and controls.

“Educators are stepping in to do what we do best: protect our students. This agreement gives families and school districts the information and privacy protections they have been demanding, and it empowers school districts to end agreements and seek damages from bad actors who break the rules. It starts to level the playing field in a competitive, ever-changing arena that lacks the guardrails our children and school communities need,” said the UFT’s Mulgrew, who leads the 200,000-member New York City AFT affiliate.

In 2024, the AFT released its “Commonsense Guardrails for Using Advanced Technology in Schools,” which established nine core principles to ensure students and families were informed and protected. And last year, it announced the creation of the National Academy for AI Instruction, which enables educators to access training on the use and misuse of AI tools rather than being treated like an afterthought, as so often happens with changes in education technology. Led by educators, the academy allows teachers not only to become proficient with the emerging technology but to be diligent about student safety and privacy. 

“HIPAA and FERPA never envisioned the advent of AI,” Weingarten said, “and in the absence of those protections, tech companies need to take responsibility for the products they create and market to students, educators and communities.”

A fact sheet on the agreement can be viewed here and the full agreement can be viewed here.