City Council Speaker Julie Menin and Oversight and Investigations Chair Shekar Krishnan have asked Google to explain whether New York City schools can continue using ordinary Google Search without enabling student-facing generative AI features. Their November 13 letter requests a written response by November 19.
The questions cover product separation, safeguards for educator choice, accuracy of AI-generated answers and the collection, storage and use of student data. The Council says the issue matters because the city has a one-year moratorium on student AI use from 2-K through eighth grade.
A request for information is not a finding that Google has violated a law or contract. The company's written response, school-system guidance and any technical documentation will be necessary to determine whether search access is actually conditioned on adopting AI tools and how controls work for managed student accounts.
Schools and families should rely on current Department of Education instructions rather than change accounts based on a press statement. The policy question is broader than one product: educators need clear authority over classroom tools, while students need reliable research access, age-appropriate safeguards and transparent rules for how their information is handled.
Primary sources: New York City Council announcement and questions to Google. Reviewed November 14, 2026. Development: Council letter announced November 13, 2026.