To the editor:
After reading the Opinion blog post “AI in K-12: A New Year’s Reality Check for School Leaders”” (January 20, 2026) I have a few thoughts about this: Since artificial intelligence is already a big part of students’ lives, schools should allow AI tools with clear limits so that we can learn to think for ourselves. Instead of pretending that artificial intelligence doesn’t exist, schools should teach us how to use it responsibly.
AI helps us students quickly find trusted articles, get tutoring when a teacher is not available, and brainstorm ideas when we get stuck. Michael Horn, a lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, said in a blog post that schools are already “saturated with AI,” and adding more AI could itself be harmful. I agree; AI needs to be part of the plan, not just added randomly.
Some older generations may worry that allowing AI in schools will encourage children to use it instead of their brains, especially when it comes to big assignments or writing essays. The concerns are genuine. However, banning AI will not stop students from using it at home. It makes more sense to create fair rules and policies, such as ensuring that AI is only used for brainstorming and research support with teacher permission, and that students do not copy AI content verbatim.
I urge school leaders to create clear AI guidelines for students and instructions on how to properly use these tools.
hayley thatcher
student
Escondido, California
Read the opinion blog post mentioned in the letter
How to submit
Education Week Opinion welcomes submissions from a variety of perspectives within the K-12 education community. No matter your role in education, we want to hear from you.
