To the Editor:
After reading the opinion blog post “AI in K–12: A New Year Reality Check for School Leaders” (Jan. 20, 2026), I have some thoughts. Artificial intelligence is already a large part of students’ lives, so schools should allow AI tools with clear limits so we can still learn to think for ourselves. Instead of pretending artificial intelligence doesn’t exist, schools should teach us how to use it responsibly.
AI can help us students find reliable articles fast, get tutoring when no teacher is available, and brainstorm ideas when we get stuck. In the blog post, Harvard Graduate School of Education lecturer Michael Horn points out that schools are already “saturated with AI” and that adding AI for its own sake could be detrimental. I agree; AI should be part of a plan, not just added randomly.
Some older generations may worry that if we allow AI use in school, kids will use AI instead of their brains, especially for large assignments or essays. That concern is real. But banning AI will not stop students from using it at home. It makes more sense to create fair rules and policies, like only using AI for brainstorming or research help with teacher permission and discouraging students from copying exactly what it says.
I urge school leaders to write clear AI guidelines for students and instruction on how to use these tools appropriately.
Haley Thatcher
Student
Escondido, Calif.
