Here are two important actions to take today to fight to preserve public ed and the public good at the federal level.

Stop another attempt to preempt strong state laws on aI!

This past summer when Congress was considering what would be in the One Big Terrible Bill, they considered including a ban on states’ ability to make laws and regulate artificial intelligence.

This was soundly defeated this summer with a 99-1 vote in the Senate, but now Big Tech is trying to sneak it quietly into another large bill, this one to reauthorize defense spending, and the House may take a vote on this today or tomorrow.

A federal ban on state AI laws could invalidate the strong laws Illinois has on the books already, like the ban on AI therapy. And as the Parent Coalition for Student Privacy explained earlier this year:

“The unregulated use of AI in the classroom is a profound threat to student privacy, as these programs collect and commercialize students’ personal data. It is also a threat to the personal connection, feedback and engagement central to a quality education.“

You can use this link from the Parent Coalition for Student Privacy to write to your Congresspeople. And you can use this link from Design It For Us to call.

Stop another attempt to destroy the US Department of Education!

Secretary of Education Linda McMahon announced further illegal moves to dismantle the US Department of Education earlier this week, by splitting up functions of the Department and assigning them to other federal agencies, including moving Title I administration to the Department of Labor. These moves will especially harm students who need the most support from our public school system.

Use this tool from Popular Democracy and Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools to call your Congresspeople and demand they take action to stop these illegal moves: bit.ly/USED_SOS

You can share our action alert posts about this on Instagram, FB or Bluesky as well.

The cuts and firings at the Dept of Ed have already harmed its ability to support public education around the country, and this move is an attempt to destroy what remains. Administering federal education funding and the federal laws that protect public school students should stay in a unified federal Department of Education to ensure safe, welcoming learning environments for ALL students.

Thank you for continuing to advocate in these difficult times!