Parents and senator press Google for separate school AI controls

Families and education advocates protested Google’s approach to AI in schools on November 11 as Chicago advocates called for a three-year moratorium on generative AI in the city’s public schools. The actions added to pressure on Google to give K-12 administrators separate controls for Search and generative-AI tools.

Senator Edward J. Markey separately asked Google to let schools disable generative-AI features without losing access to Search. His November 9 letter, signed by Markey alone, requests separate controls for AI Overviews, Gemini, Guided Learning and other generative-AI tools on K-12 student accounts.

Students, parents and school-board members gathered outside Google’s Chicago office during the November 11 demonstration. Illinois Families for Public Schools and allied advocates are seeking the three-year moratorium. The organizer’s page says rallies were planned in six cities but lists seven locations, leaving the exact number of protest cities unresolved. The protests followed a family’s lawsuit over Gemini access on a school Chromebook.

Google announced new administrator controls on November 3, saying Gemini, Gemini Notebook, Gemini in Classroom and Google Search would remain off for K-12 student accounts until school administrators explicitly enable them. DataPhoenix previously detailed Google’s opt-in controls for K-12 Search and Gemini. Under the announced approach, administrators cannot keep Search enabled while turning off every generative-AI feature.

The company also said Guided Learning, a feature designed to lead students through questions rather than simply provide answers, would be piloted in Search at selected U.S. schools later in November. Google said it made the feature available globally in Google Classroom on November 3.

Markey asked Google to explain by November 30 what controls schools have, whether AI-free Search is technically feasible, what safety research supports the products and what restrictions apply in schools.