Big news this week on tech from the nation's largest school districts: both New York City and Los Angeles’ public school systems announced bans on generative artificial intelligence product use. Los Angeles’ more sweeping ban applies to PreK through 12th grade. It follows on LAUSD’s strict limits on screentime for all grades as well, which also bans 1:1 device use before 2nd grade.

School is starting around the state, and here’s what we’re keeping tabs on with ed tech and school funding…

The latest wave of a backlash against Big Tech’s takeover of the K-12 education system has been building around the country in recent months.After the jump we’re covering a few of the symptoms of this takeover first and then take a look at what solutions might be brewing here in Illinois:

We've got lots of important updates below, including good news on protecting student privacy in CPS and recent wins on the voucher front, bad news on the millionaires tax, and our plans for May Day.

If you are on social media, you can get many of these updates as they break via our feeds: Facebook, Bluesky, Instagram, Threads.

Things are tough, but taking collective action is the way forward. Read on and look for four actions highlighted below that you take right now...

Mental health is a prerequisite for learning, and all kids deserve access to mental healthcare. As ICE terrorizes larger and larger swathes of our city, the already urgent need for mental health services for students is only increasing.

Unfortunately, one of the resources Chicago Public Schools is directing families and students to is a for-profit mental health tech company, Hazel Health, that’s just merged with another startup with deep connections to one of ICE’s Big Tech partners, Palantir.

Yesterday five advocacy organizations sent a letter to the Chicago Board of Education and Chicago Public Schools Superintendent-CEO Macqueline King calling on them to cancel CPS’ contract with Hazel Health, a for-profit tech company providing mental health services to CPS high school students or remedy the lack of protections for sensitive student data before the contract renews automatically on December 31, 2025. Full press release below.

Illinois Families for Public Schools sent a letter to the Chicago Board of Education today with a list of concerns about privacy and other issues with a new telehealth program where mental health services are provided by for-profit company Hazel Health. IL-FPS urges the Board to answer the questions posed in the letter and revise the consent forms that parents agree to when they sign their student up for services.

The deadline for passing bills out of the Illinois House and over to the Senate is this Friday 4/19. Here are two bills that IL-FPS has been following closely, and we encourage you to call your state rep about both of them.

IL Families for Public Schools' director Cassie Creswell spoke at the August meeting of the Chicago Board of Education about CPS' continued lack of compliance with the Student Online Personal Protection Act.