Questions to ask your principals and School Leadership Teams about privacy,  AI, ed tech use and screens

Nov. 6, 2026

Questions to ask your principals and School Leadership Teams about privacy,  AI, ed tech use and screens

General questions about privacy and data disclosure

• Which of my child’s Directory Information (DI)  will be disclosed by the school? According to federal law and Chancellor’s regulation A-820,  parents I have the right to opt out of the disclosure of this data. Please provide me with any or all opt out forms,  types of student data designated as DI, the specific purposes for these disclosures,  and the deadlines to opt out.
• Please provide a list of ed tech companies and other third parties that will have access to my child’s personal data for educational or operational purposes. According to NY Ed Law 2d, parents have the right to be informed of the names of these products and inspect the data collected within 45 days of a request.
• (To follow up if they are not on this list of products): Why is the school utilizing this program when it is not on the DOE list of approved products?

Questions about AI use

• Which products being assigned to students use Generative AI, if any? (This question is especially relevant to parents of kidsn with IEPs, 504s, and/or English Language Learners, as well as high school students, many of whom are exempt from the AI moratorium.)
• Will Google Search be turned off in student Chromebooks and other devices, as according to the company, it incorporates AI and may data-mine for product improvement which violates state law? If it will be turned off, when will this occur and will my child be told not to use it in the meantime?
• Will my child be encouraged to use a privacy-protective search engine and browser instead, such as those offered by Duck Duck Go?
• Will students be informed not to use any off-the-shelf AI products for their homework, especially as these products are non-compliant with NYS privacy law?
• Which AI products will teachers use and how will they make sure that there is no personal student information shared with these companies, to prevent them from being able to redisclose the data or harvest it for commercial purposes?

Questions about Screentime:

• How many hours per week will my child be asked to spend on screens, either at school or home, and which products will they be assigned to use?
• Which of these products are considered exempt from the DOE’s recommended screentime limits of no time for grades 2K-2^nd grade; 30 minutes daily for grades 3 through 5, and 45 minutes daily for grades 6 through 8?
• Which of these ed tech programs and products can I opt my child out of?
• (If your school has asked you to sign one a computer consent form) What happens if we refuse to sign the consent form for students to use computers and access the internet, or withdraw my consent?
• Will students be assigned to watch YouTube videos, even though YouTube announced more than a year ago that its use of student data no longer complies with the NY privacy law?