Ableist AI in the Classroom

Friend,  When schools increasingly hand over students’ data to for-profit tech firms, it’s not just creepy; it’s a safety threat. In recent weeks, over a million students, including many in New York City, had their data compromised when one vendor was breached, and there are likely many more. Students’ immigration status, medical records, and most intimate data is being put at risk, but the harms are far broader. For neurodivergent individuals like myself, school technology makes school a hostile place even when it works as intended. As my colleague Sarah Roth and I recently wrote, education tech often sets up disabled and neurodivergent students to fail, criminalizing our differences and blocking our pathways to success. Until recently, Congress ignored these harms, but now they’re trying to make them even worse. The new Kids Online Safety Act is gaining momentum, threatening to expand the student surveillance state. The bill would rob teenagers of anonymity, putting many at risk of violence. For LGBTQIANC+ youth seeking online sanctuary from bigoted families, pregnant teenagers seeking information on abortion, and countless others, this bill is a clear and present danger. In recent months, we’ve seen just how quickly rights can erode and once-unimaginable threats become reality. The risk is real, but we can still fight back. That’s why we’re asking you to take a couple of minutes to join us and our partners at EFF in demanding that congress stop their misguided law. Your voice could make a difference today, but only if you speak up.   In solidarity, Evan Enzer Legal Fellow Share Tweet Forward Copyright © 2022 STOP, All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.