New York City, the largest school district in the U.S., announced a one-year moratorium on the use of artificial intelligence by students in its public elementary and middle schools on 2026-09-02. ^[1] The New York City policy will affect about 600,000 public school students through eighth grade, while high school students will be allowed to use AI in some cases. ^[2] New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a new policy banning the use of artificial intelligence by students in grades 2 through 8. ^[3] The New York City mayor's office announced that public schools will implement a one-year ban on generative AI software for students through eighth grade during the 2025-2026 school year. ^[4] New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani told reporters on 2026-09-02 that the city's elementary and middle schools would halt the use of about 40 AI educational tools in classrooms. ^[5] Students will be kept from using the technology in the classroom until they enter high school. ^[6] The one-year moratorium on AI use will be effective in the 2026-2027 school year. ^[7] Josh Golin, executive director of the children's advocacy group Fairplay, said a one-year evaluation period is not nearly enough and that AI platforms should bear the burden of proving their products are effective, safe, and not driving widespread cheating. ^[8] The city will offer AI training twice a year to all public high school students and run pilot programs allowing some high schoolers to use a few AI platforms under educator supervision, while banning company chatbots in all grades. ^[9] The mayor's office described the ban as the broadest of its kind in the United States. ^[10] High school students will receive two 45-minute annual modules on critical evaluation of AI, and up to 50,000 students (about 5% of public enrollment) may join five pilot AI projects capped at five classes per school and supervised by trained educators. ^[11] The moratorium covers approximately 600,000 students, about two-thirds of New York City's public school enrollment, according to the city administration. ^[12]