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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CFT – A Union of Educato s and Classified Professionals
Contact: Matthew Hardy, 510-703-5291

SACRAMENTO,CA – The California Federation of Teachers today called on Governor Gavin Newsom to enact an Executive Order establishing an immediate three-year moratorium on AI in public school classrooms. The union, which represents over 120,000 educators, school employees and faculty, cites pressing concerns about student and educator safety and privacy.

“Every day, AI tools are being introduced in classrooms without clear protections for the children and educators using them. Students’ brain development shouldn’t be monetized for billionaire profit. The consequences could be serious and irreversible. This is a public health and safety emergency, and we need our leaders to treat it as one and act now,” said CFT President Jeff Freitas. 

A letter sent today to Governor Newsom from CFT states in part: “Rapid development in this sector, especially when it is driven by economic gain and competition, should never be placed above student safety and the teaching of critical thinking…”

A recent CFT survey found AI in the classroom has surged as a concern for educators, now ranking as the second highest concern of CFT members. Educators see first hand in their classrooms how AI without any safeguards can have unintended and potentially dangerous consequences. Unregulated AI threatens to derail students’ development, jeopardize teacher agency and autonomy, and lacks clear privacy guardrails. Teachers are not equipped with the proper training and tools to oversee proscribed AI programs, and students don’t have the ability to discern what is useful and what may harm them. Students and parents also don’t have clear options to opt out, leaving them extremely vulnerable to privacy violations.

The letter goes on to say: “Educators understand the urgency of these issues: the infusion of AI in education is happening at an ever-accelerating pace, and each week more alarming examples emerge of AI products leaking student data, failing to accurately complete the work they were designed for, costing teachers and staff invaluable time, and with dubious educational benefits for students… Educators and classified professional staff from Pre-K through Higher Education have significant concerns about the rapid expansion of AI-driven edtech into schools, without sufficient time for review and oversight of these products.”

CFT is urging Governor Newsom to issue the executive order within the next month, before he leaves office. Unless revoked, the order would remain in effect under the next administration.

Read the full letter.

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CFT – A Union of Educators and Classified Professionals represents 120,000 teachers, faculty, and school employees in public and private schools and colleges, from early childhood through higher education. It is the statewide affiliate of the AFT. More information at www.cft.org.