Nearly 100 high school students from all 50 states met in Washington, D.C., last month to draft a national framework for AI use in K‑12 schools. The result - a nonbinding document called the STUDENTS FIRST Act of 2026 - argues that schools should focus less on restricting AI and more on preserving authentic learning, human judgment, and student voice.
The student senate convened at America's Youth AI Festival, hosted by Day of AI, a nonprofit that promotes responsible AI literacy. Organizers included the School Superintendents Association (AASA) and the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the U.S. Senate. They intend the framework to inform district policies and state conversations about AI governance.
"This is written by students, for students," Day of AI Executive Director Jeff Riley said in a statement.
What the student framework recommends
The nine-page document divides its recommendations into five sections covering the school community, students, teachers, administrators, and parents. The student section draws the clearest boundaries: AI may support brainstorming, studying, and editing with teacher consent, but not generate original written assignments. The framework also demands transparency around student data collection and the right to appeal accusations of AI misuse. It explicitly bars AI from independently making decisions about grades, discipline, or hiring.
"Students must be informed of any and all data collection from them, as well as what their data would be used for, and have the right to deny unnecessary data collection," the act states. It adds that schools are "strictly prohibited from using AI tools to profile or categorize students based on their ethnicity, religion, appearance, beliefs, or values."
Student authors said AI literacy should start when students first use classroom devices and continue throughout their schooling, covering misinformation, plagiarism, bias, privacy, environmental impacts, and how AI works.
The teacher section presents AI as a classroom support tool - for lesson planning and feedback - but holds that educators remain responsible for verifying AI-generated content and communicating expectations. The administrator section calls for transparent, regularly reviewed policies, ongoing AI training for employees, and a ban on AI making independent decisions about grading or discipline. Parents, meanwhile, are urged to build their own AI literacy and reinforce ethical use at home.
Why this matters for educators
The framework gives classroom teachers and school administrators a student‑authored reference point for building AI policies in education that balance innovation with academic integrity. Sarah Yezzi, chief education officer at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute, said students "want clear, fair rules that protect privacy, preserve the ability to think, and ensure this transformative technology supports and enhances human relationships." For educators designing AI guidelines, the document offers concrete, student‑backed priorities - and a reminder that those priorities may differ from the restrictions adults often default to. An AI learning path for teachers can help educators build the understanding needed to align classroom practice with these student expectations.
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