AFT, UFT, Microsoft National AI Safety & Privacy Standard for schools to protect students, families and educators
Landmark agreement hands control to parents and teachers through legally enforceable guardrails, building on NYC schools’ screen and AI ban
Landmark AI safety and privacy standard gives families and schools protections against tech companies
Three major organizations have launched a National AI Safety & Privacy Standard to create legally enforceable protections for students, families and schools.
The first-of-its-kind agreement, which comes 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 and AI cannot make decisions without human oversight.
Companies must also give educators and parents transparency and plain-language answers about how their tools work.
The agreement comes after months of negotiations between the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) and Microsoft, in the absence of any federal or state rules governing the use of AI in schools.
U.S. school districts can incorporate these protections directly into their Microsoft customer agreements, making them contractually enforceable.
Randi Weingarten, AFT president, said: “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.
“We can get angrier and angrier, or we can act decisively; anything less than legally enforceable provisions is simply a wish list.
“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.”
Shared principles
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.
Michael Mulgrew, president of the UFT, said: “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.”
