Blocking “ai” tools on student computers… Madison edition
As students in the Madison school district start the new school year, administrators will continue to limit students’ access to artificial intelligence features on school-issued devices, including Chromebooks.
AI applications like Chat GPT and Google’s Gemini tool are blocked or disabled on students’ computers this year, district spokesperson Edell Fiedler said in a statement. Fiedler said there are no changes in the district’s approach to AI access and use for students this school year.
At an event with reporters in August, Superintendent Joe Gothard previously said the district is actively working to address the implications of AI in classrooms.
“I think right now, we’re in the beginning stages of understanding AI and its impact on the work that we do and how we need to best work with our students, our staff and our families,” Gothard said.
School districts across the country are grappling with how to implement AI in classrooms, sparking debates about what appropriate usage looks like for students of different ages and what platforms to spend money on. The nation’s two largest school districts, in New York and Los Angeles, moved in recent weeks to largely restrict student-facing AI applications.
Some school districts were forced to make quick decisions at the start of the school year after Google Classroom, a popular online tool in schools, automatically enabled the use of its Gemini chatbot for students of all ages in August, according to Education Week. The chatbot previously had been restricted to students 18 years or older.
———
2025-2026 Madison 4k-3rd grade Early Literacy Screener report: The bar moves faster than the kids.
Joe Gothard, Becky Kundert and Sonia Spencer Remarks on Madison’s K-12 Literacy Crisis.
2026-2027 Madison K-12 $pending continues to grow, fueled by a 9.7% (!) property tax increase. Total spending will be at least $706,000,000 for 25,003 students, or $28,236 per student.
May 2026 Madison School District Presentation: 7,095 adults for 25,003 students (3.52 students per adult!)
2024-2025 Early Literacy Screener Map.
Map: Foundations of Reading Results: 2015–2024
Where have all the students gone?
3,887 Madison 4 year old to third grade students scored lower than 75% of the students in the national comparison group.
Madison taxpayers have long supported far above average k-12 tax & $pending. This despite our long term, disastrous reading results. May, 2026: 7,095 Staff for 25,003 students; $pending > $26k per student!
Madison Schools: More $, No Accountability
The taxpayer funded Madison School District long used Reading Recovery…
The data clearly indicate that being able to read is not a requirement for graduation at (Madison) East, especially if you are black or Hispanic.
My Question to Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers on Teacher Mulligans and our Disastrous Reading Results
2017: West High Reading Interventionist Teacher’s Remarks to the School Board on Madison’s Disastrous Reading Results
Madison’s taxpayer supported K-12 school district, despite spending far more than most, has long tolerated disastrous reading results.
“An emphasis on adult employment”
Wisconsin Public Policy Forum Madison School District Report[PDF]
WEAC: $1.57 million for Four Wisconsin Senators
Friday Afternoon Veto: Governor Evers Rejects AB446/SB454; an effort to address our long term, disastrous reading results
Booked, but can’t read (Madison): functional literacy, National citizenship and the new face of Dred Scott in the age of mass incarceration.
When A Stands for Average: Students at the UW-Madison School of Education Receive Sky-High Grades. How Smart is That?
