Half of Chicago School Board Candidates Back Three-Year Pause on Classroom AI

Nearly half of the candidates running for Chicago's first fully elected school board want the district to pause classroom use of artificial intelligence while policymakers and educators set stronger safeguards.

What Candidates Are Asking For

Chalkbeat reported that 24 of the 45 candidates have signed a pledge from Illinois Families for Public Schools calling for a three-year moratorium on AI use by Chicago Public Schools students and educators. The nonprofit’s pledge also asks the district to:

• Ban screen time before third grade and reduce screen time in later grades;
• Create a district chief privacy officer role;
• Stop collecting student biometric data, including voice recordings.

Why Supporters Back the Pause

Supporters say a temporary halt would protect student privacy and preserve critical thinking and creativity at a time when AI tools can instantly generate answers and content. "The risks of AI are absolutely outweighing the benefits right now," said Cassie Creswell, head of Illinois Families for Public Schools.

"It's extremely important to take an approach of caution and care so we raise a generation that has critical thinking abilities and understands the importance of using multiple sources of information," said Debby Pope, an appointed board member, retired educator and candidate in District 2b.

Opponents Urge Caution Against Blanket Bans

Not everyone favors a blanket moratorium. Janice Jackson, former CPS CEO and current head of the Education and Society Program at the Aspen Institute, argued that outright bans could leave students unprepared for a world where AI is widely used. "I think an outright ban is unproductive, and it really negates our responsibility," Jackson said. "We need to devise better solutions so our kids can access these tools safely without irreparable harm."

Other candidates voiced similar concerns about student screen time and privacy but hesitated to commit to a sweeping, multi-year prohibition. "I am concerned that on AI, we are building the plane while we're flying it," said Ellen Rosenfeld, running unopposed in District 4b.

How CPS Is Responding

CPS says it has taken a "deliberate, responsible approach to artificial intelligence," and notes that the Illinois State Board of Education cites the district's AI guidebook as an example for other districts. The district paused a plan in May to allow high school students to use Google's Gemini chatbot through Google Classroom after teacher feedback emphasized the need for individual school readiness and educator training.

District leaders also say they are working to build guardrails rather than simply ban the technology. High school students helped form a Student Voice AI Council and contributed to a draft Student AI Playbook to shape how AI might be used responsibly in classrooms.

Broader Context

The debate in Chicago reflects wider national conversations about technology in schools. Other jurisdictions are already moving: Illinois has adopted limits on student cellphone use in schools, Los Angeles enacted a screen-time ban before second grade, and New York City is introducing restrictions on student AI use in elementary and middle schools.

As school systems become testing grounds for larger disputes over classroom priorities and who should set them, the fight over AI has become a prominent issue in this school board campaign.