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Education·P Space·Evidence-backed problem·Published 2026-07-12

AI in the classroom prompts tide of concern from US parents and experts

In October, Kelly Clancy’s son received an assignment in sixth grade at a middle school in Brooklyn, New York, to create a science experiment and then ask Google Gemini, an artificial intelligence chatbot, for feedback, she said. Clancy, who has three children in New York City public schools, told the teacher that the bot “is something that just teaches kids that they can have machines do the thinking for them”, instead of suggesting: “Let’s talk to your partners. What about the science experiment could you impr…

TRV-2026-0087JournalismPermanent record — cite & verify
AI in the classroom prompts tide of concern from US parents and experts
The quick read

In October, a sixth-grade student at a middle school in Brooklyn received an assignment to create a science experiment and then ask Google Gemini for feedback. His mother, Kelly Clancy, objected to the teacher and later founded Parents for AI Caution in Educational Spaces, which is pushing for a two-year moratorium on AI in New York City public schools.

The case matters because it shows how generative chatbots are being integrated into routine classroom work without consensus among parents and child development experts. It remains uncertain how widespread such assignments are, whether they improve or reduce learning, and what guardrails districts will adopt.

Main points
  • Assignment required sixth grade students at a Brooklyn middle school to create a science experiment and then ask Google Gemini for feedback
  • Kelly Clancy has three children in New York City public schools and founded Parents for AI Caution in Educational Spaces
  • The group is pushing the city to institute a two-year moratorium on using AI in its public schools
Problem

Assigning sixth-grade students in a Brooklyn middle school to use Google Gemini for feedback on a science experiment risks teaching students to outsource thinking to machines instead of peer discussion and revision

Sources

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