Parents, Wake Up to Realities & Risks of AI on Kids at School
This article will blow your mind. I’m a grandmother of six and mother of five, and as Founder of Arizona Women of Action, I learn a LOT about threats to our families and children. But I never realized the extent that schools are data mining and the way they manipulate our kids’ thinking—all through those ‘convenient’ digital tools most schools offer.
Please read this Substack article by Jennifer Barber, an independent investigative journalist exposing how Arizona’s classrooms became data mines—and how parents can reclaim their children’s privacy from the rise of AI in education. It’s full of important information you don’t know, ... and what to DO about it!
One section in particular stands out:
“Every data point—attendance, mood, meal, motion—feeds into profiles that begin in infancy and evolve into permanent records of identity, performance, and behavior.... society must take a hard look at how deeply technology has been woven into childhood—often before kids can speak, read, or consent.
‘We’re making decisions for them right now that they can’t take back.’- Naomi Brockwell, International Privacy Expert & Founder and Director of NBTV as well as President and Founder of the Ludlow Institute.
Thank you, Ms. Barber, for allowing us to share this important information! - Kim Miller
Screens, Scores, and Surveillance: Arizona Moms Challenge AI Behavior Tracking
AI-powered apps now trace students from bus stops to bathroom breaks — and Arizona parents are feeling the pressure of raising kids under constant digital watch.
What if every step your child took at school left a trail of data behind?
In Arizona, that trail begins at the bus stop and ends long after dismissal, logged by behavior apps, devices, and attendance systems. Few parents realize just how deep the digital record goes—or how slowly the state is moving to rein it in.
Whether in Arizona’s public schools, private schools, or on tablets at home, today’s kids are surrounded by apps powered by artificial intelligence (AI)—technology that mimics human thinking. These tools promise smarter lessons and easier teaching, but they also quietly collect massive amounts of student data along the way.
Before you sign the next school consent form, take a closer look at the Big Tech systems moving into Arizona classrooms—and what they’re learning about your child.
DEI Dashboards, or Digital Dossiers?
Chances are, your child’s school uses one. These so-called “safety” and “support” apps monitor behavior, flag keywords, and feed data into systems few parents ever see.
GoGuardian – Monitors every website and search term on school-issued devices; flags behavior for “mental health” concerns.
Gaggle – Scans student emails, chats, and documents 24/7 for “inappropriate” keywords; might alert staff or police.
SchoolMint Hero and Panorama Behavior – Log discipline, attendance, and “social-emotional” data often tied to DEI frameworks.
ClassDojo and Bloomz – Award or deduct points for behavior which are logged in the student’s timeline, giving parents access to see their child’s progress.
SmartPass and Minga – Replace hall passes with tracking apps that log every movement.
In the name of safety and convenience, schools are expanding surveillance from the hallways to the parking lot—and parents are now in the frame. At some campuses, automated license plate recognition (ALPR) cameras are now in place. Companies like SchoolPass sell it as the future of student dismissal: no clipboards, no chaos—just full-time vehicle tracking paired with a GPS-enabled parent app.
What starts as “support data” can quickly become surveillance. Once collected, these records can follow a child for years—shaping how they’re seen, treated, and even disciplined.
When “Helpful” Becomes Harmful
Could the very tech designed to manage behavior and keep kids safe be fueling more stress and anxiety at home?
“I’m not alone in feeling a pit in my stomach every time my phone dings with a new update from a school app.” Parents website.
In Unpopular Parenting Opinion—School-Related Apps Give Me Anxiety, experts weigh the pros and cons of the growing number of school apps for parents. While some praise the increased transparency and communication, others warn the constant updates can heighten stress, encourage over-monitoring, and blur the line between home and school.
For many, it’s a warning sign that student life is becoming increasingly data-driven—and families are feeling the pressure.
Knowledge Is Power—So Is Permission
What Arizona Parents Can Do Now
New safeguards are beginning to take shape.
An Arizona law that just took effect—House Bill 2514—requires schools to get written parental consent before releasing a child’s personal information. Developed by the Goldwater Institute, the law also mandates that schools provide parents with a copy of their parental rights policy every year.
As Goldwater notes, parents once had to go “on a scavenger hunt” to find this information—a process the new law aims to simplify and standardize.
Christopher Thomas, Director of Legal Strategy for Education Policy at the Goldwater Institute, says the goal is to shift control of student data back to parents—but that control isn’t automatic. Watch the full interview with Christopher Thomas here.
“Your child’s school should need your permission before releasing his or her name, e-mail address, or telephone number to a third party for marketing or other purposes. Before HB2514, schools didn’t need to check with parents first — the release was predicated on a passive consent system - unless you knew rights and took deliberate steps to opt out of the release of this so-called “directory information,” the school was free to release it and even sell it. Goldwater thought that was backwards. Because Arizona has enacted HB2514, a new Goldwater Institute law empowering parents to safeguard their children’s private information by requiring affirmative parental consent before schools release student data, schools now need your affirmative consent to release that information.” - Christopher Thomas, Goldwater Institute, October 16, 2025
A Bipartisan Wake-Up Call
Privacy isn’t a partisan issue anymore.
What began as a niche concern has become a rare point of agreement across political lines. From classrooms to highways, Americans are confronting how deeply AI-driven surveillance is embedded in everyday life—and how little oversight exists to control it.
After my post on the growing threat of digital ID and unchecked surveillance, Sen. Jake Hoffman didn’t mince words: “Arizona electeds need to wake up on issues of tech, data, and surveillance. Our state is asleep at the wheel.”
What began as a warning about surveillance has become a call to arms. In a statement to Jen’s Two Cents, Sen. Hoffman says the rise of AI could define—or destroy—the American middle class.
“Artificial intelligence represents a more significant threat to the American middle class and the average worker than Russia, Communist China, and nuclear war combined. AI will disrupt the national and global marketplace of jobs unlike any other technological innovation in the history of mankind. If K-12 public schools and public universities are not aggressively retooling every aspect of their operation to equip students with the skills to survive in this new AI age, they’ve already failed. This is the existential crisis, and potential opportunity, of our time. As a state, we must address it with our entire attention.” - Jake Hoffman | State Senator, Arizona, October 16, 2025
AI in the Classroom: Arizona’s Top Educator Weighs In
Even amid growing concerns, some education leaders are embracing AI carefully. Arizona Superintendent Tom Horne says the key is choosing tools with built-in privacy safeguards—like the state’s partnership with Khanmigo.
“I am a strong supporter of AI as a classroom tool to assist, but not replace, educators. I also spent $1.5 million helping schools obtain, and have been promoting, the student-focused system operated by Khanmigo. Khanmigo does not answer questions for students but gets students to learn by asking them questions. It is the premier AI education provider in the nation, and they have the most complete privacy protection process for such a provider.”
“Khanmigo does not train it language learning system using student data. Their cloud operation uses the highest level of security protocols and any potential concerns regarding data issues are addressed immediately.”
Tom Horne | Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction | October 16, 2025
In January, Superintendent Tom Horne told lawmakers the state’s AI-powered tutoring program, Khanmigo, is helping students catch up academically. He acknowledged funding hurdles—but made clear this is just the beginning.
Not everyone in state leadership agrees on where to draw the line.
While Superintendent Tom Horne defends the use of AI tools with strict privacy controls, Arizona Treasurer Kimberly Yee—his 2026 Republican primary challenger—says even cautious adoption can carry risk.
“Student privacy should never be compromised in the world of AI and educational technology. As a parent and staunch defender of student privacy, we must always protect minors and their personal data.”
Arizona Treasurer Kimberly Yee | Candidate for State Superintendent of Public Instruction in the 2026 Republican primary | October 16, 2025
Yee recently criticized Horne for releasing to the media a list identifying roughly 150 Empowerment Scholarship Account students and their schools, calling it “a reckless disclosure of students’ personally identifiable information.” Horne characterized it as a “tiny number,” but Yee argued, “even one student is too many.”
She added in a statement to Jen’s Two Cents, “As a former state legislator, I authored bills to protect student privacy. Now as Arizona Treasurer, I have been sued by 12News for protecting the data of minor children and redacting this information as federal privacy laws such as FERPA and HIPAA require. Private student information must always be protected,” says Treasurer Kimberly Yee, October 16, 2025.
Their Digital Footprint Begins Before They Can Walk.
AI-powered surveillance systems in schools—cameras, apps, and behavior-tracking tools—quietly build digital dossiers on children from the moment they enter a classroom. Parents, often unknowingly, hand over more data when they place tablets and smart devices into tiny hands—devices that harvest information for third-party companies in the name of “learning.” And while these tools are marketed as safety measures to catch a bad guy, experts warn they come with huge privacy concerns—turning classrooms into testing grounds for data collection and predictive monitoring.
“Tech can be amazing. Giving a child access to the world’s knowledge at their fingertips is incredible. But it’s being done in a very uninformed way. Where we’re also handing over surveillance devices. We’re allowing countless third parties to collect, aggregate, and profile information on children.” Naomi Brockwell, International Privacy Expert & Founder and Director of NBTV as well as President and Founder of the Ludlow Institute. Watch the interview here & begin at the 17:23 mark.
Every data point—attendance, mood, meal, motion—feeds into profiles that begin in infancy and evolve into permanent records of identity, performance, and behavior.
Brockwell warns that society must take a hard look at how deeply technology has been woven into childhood—often before kids can speak, read, or consent.
“We’re making decisions for them right now that they can’t take back.”
From the classroom to Silicon Valley, the conversation is the same: innovation outpacing reflection. As Brockwell cautions and Elon Musk admits, the real challenge isn’t building smarter machines—it’s remembering what it means to be human.
“We are in the beginning of an immense intelligence big bang right now and we’re at the most interesting time to be alive of anytime in history. That said, we need to make sure AI is a good AI.” - Elon Musk
Jen’s Two Cents.
The first step to protecting your child’s privacy is simple: use the new law. Opt out of allowing your child’s school to release personal information through directory data.
Then, don’t stop there—share these five tips with other parents and your school community. Change starts when awareness spreads.
Ask What’s Being Used: Request a full list of all apps, platforms, and digital tools your child’s school uses — including anything tied to “behavior,” “SEL,” or “safety.” Schools are legally required to disclose vendors upon request.
Opt Out and Limit Permissions: Beyond the student directory, review every consent form for technology use, photo release, and data sharing. If it’s optional, skip it. Put all opt-out requests in writing and keep copies.
Disable Tracking at Home: Check privacy settings on school-issued tablets or laptops. Turn off location tracking, voice assistants, and data-sharing with third parties wherever possible.
Ask How Long Data Is Kept: Every district should have a data retention policy. Ask how long student records — including behavior or device data — are stored, who has access, and when they’re deleted.
Get Involved Locally: Attend school board meetings, request agenda items on tech transparency, and connect with other parents. Policies change fastest when communities speak up together.
About the Author
Jennifer Barber is an independent investigative journalist exposing how Arizona’s classrooms became data mines—and how parents can reclaim their children’s privacy from the rise of AI in education.
Follow Jen’s Two Cents on X: https://x.com/JensTwoCents_AZ or Click to Subscribe to Jen’s Substack Newsletter