Intentional Technology Saint Paul asks SPPS to disable YouTube and Gemini AI

Attachments

20261019-113439-b18-open-letter-american-school-districts-2026-10-05.pdf

Recently, more than a dozen organizations co-signed the attached open letter to school districts, district leaders, and school boards, and sent it to the leadership of the 150 largest public school districts in the United States. As the letter describes in detail, litigation and public reporting have clarified the unacceptable level of risk to students posed by accessibility of YouTube and Gemini AI on school-issued devices. The letter also explains Google’s repeated attempts to shift legal risk associated with its products onto school districts. The letter concludes by asking districts to: (1) disable YouTube on school-issued devices; (2) disable Gemini AI on school-issued devices; and (3) investigate student internet use on school-issued devices, share the results with the public, and reform their policies to ensure student safety.

As Saint Paul Public Schools is not among the largest 150 districts in the nation, it did not directly receive this letter, but it was shared with Dr. Stacie Stanley, Superintendent of SPPS, and the SPPS School Board Members.
Dear Superintendent Stanley and Members of the Board of Education:
We are Intentional Technology Saint Paul, a coalition of parents, teachers and community members formed out of shared concern about how technology is being used in SPPS classrooms and provided to SPPS students. Our guiding question is how to ensure we are making evidence-based decisions about digital technology that are best for students' mental health, social well-being, and academic outcomes, and we are grateful for your ongoing collaboration with us.
While we are a local group focused on schools in our community, we are also part of a growing, nationwide movement to address technology issues in education. We write to bring to your attention important developments in the broader movement.
Recently, more than a dozen organizations co-signed the attached open letter to school districts, district leaders, and school boards, and sent it to the leadership of the 150 largest public school districts in the United States. As the letter describes in detail, litigation and public reporting have clarified the unacceptable level of risk to students posed by accessibility of YouTube and Gemini AI on school-issued devices. The letter also explains Google’s repeated attempts to shift legal risk associated with its products onto school districts. The letter concludes by asking districts to: (1) disable YouTube on school-issued devices; (2) disable Gemini AI on school-issued devices; and (3) investigate student internet use on school-issued devices, share the results with the public, and reform their policies to ensure student safety.
We appreciate the steps already taken by SPPS administrators to limit the use of YouTube and Gemini AI on school-issued devices, as well as the initiation of B.I.G.G. goals relating to iPads and AI. We urge you to closely review the attached letter (links to the letter and related exhibits are also provided below), fully disable YouTube and Gemini AI, and ensure that as you undertake the evaluation of iPad use and the crafting of AI policy required by the B.I.G.G. goals, you include a systematic review of student internet use on school-issued devices as set forth in the letter.
Thank you for your attention and continued partnership with us.
Sincerely,
Intentional Technology Saint Paul

Open Letter to Schools

Exhibit 1

Exhibit 2

Exhibit 3