Students from all 50 states draft national K-12 AI policy framework

The STUDENT FIRST Act

A group of 98 students representing every state in the U.S. has developed a formal policy framework called the STUDENT FIRST Act. This proposal aims to establish guidelines for how K-12 schools can use artificial intelligence (AI) in a responsible manner.

The project began in July during America’s Youth AI Festival in Massachusetts. Students met as a Student Senate to debate and approve the framework. The goal is to ensure that the rules governing AI in classrooms are shaped by the perspectives of the students who will actually be using the technology to learn and work.

According to a statement from Day of AI Executive Director Jeffrey Riley, the work showed what happens when young people are given the chance to "wrestle seriously with questions that will shape their lives."

A national tour for local impact

The initiative is now moving into a phase called the Students First Tour. This tour is designed to take the ideas developed by the original 98 students and bring them back to local communities. The goal is to help students across the country participate in similar policy exercises and learn about AI governance together.

To support this, Day of AI is partnering with the Edward M. Kennedy (EMK) Institute for the United States Senate. Together, they are creating resources for local student senates. These resources include guides that can be used by different groups, ranging from a single classroom to a larger community-wide initiative.

Participating students will have the opportunity to submit their own original AI policy proposals or specific changes to the STUDENT FIRST Act. These submissions will be stored in an online repository hosted by Day of AI and the EMK Institute to create a diverse collection of student-led ideas.

Scaling the reach to schools

The organizers are working to ensure the STUDENT FIRST Act reaches a wide audience of decision-makers. They are collaborating with MIT RAISE, an education research initiative, to expand the tour's reach. They are also working with The School Superintendents Association (AASA) to distribute the policy framework to its network of more than 10,000 school leaders.

By involving school superintendents, the initiative seeks to provide administrators with a ready-made set of recommendations that have already been vetted by students. This could simplify the process for schools trying to figure out how to integrate AI tools while maintaining academic integrity and safety.

Some students have already begun the advocacy process at the state level. In Oregon, participants presented the Act to the state Senate's education committee. Similarly, students in Connecticut shared their recommendations with their State Board of Education.

Building a student ambassador cohort

A major component of the next phase involves the creation of a national student ambassador cohort. Applications for this group will open in the winter. Selected students will meet both in person and virtually throughout 2027 and 2028.

These ambassadors will be tasked with planning and facilitating AI policy discussions within their own specific communities. This structure allows the initiative to scale, as it empowers local students to lead the conversation in their own neighborhoods and school districts rather than relying on a centralized national team for every discussion.

The tour will continue to announce specific locations and dates for additional student gatherings across the country in the coming months. This ongoing effort aims to turn a one-time student project into a sustained national conversation about the role of AI in the American education system.

How the policy works

While the specific text of the STUDENT FIRST Act is a collaborative framework, it focuses on the principles of responsible use. This typically involves balancing the benefits of AI—such as personalized tutoring or administrative efficiency—with risks like data privacy, algorithmic bias, and academic honesty.

By providing a framework rather than a rigid set of rules, the initiative allows for flexibility. Different schools can adopt different parts of the Act based on their specific needs, while still following a set of principles that were developed by a diverse group of students from all 50 states.

The inclusion of an online repository for modifications ensures that the policy remains a living document. As AI technology evolves, students can submit updates to ensure the guidelines remain relevant to the latest tools and trends in the classroom.

The road ahead

The next steps involve moving from the drafting phase to the implementation phase. With the distribution of the Act to 10,000 school leaders, the focus shifts to how many districts will actually adopt these student-led recommendations into their official handbooks and policies.

The success of the Students First Tour will likely depend on the engagement of the student ambassador cohort. If these students can successfully facilitate local discussions, it could create a nationwide movement where students are primary stakeholders in how technology is introduced to their schools.

As the tour progresses, observers will watch to see if state-level education committees begin to codify these student recommendations into state law. This would represent a significant shift in how education policy is drafted, moving from a purely administrative process to one that incorporates direct student input.