NYC students head back to school with 2-K launch, AI ban and bus shortage

Hundreds of thousands of New York City students are heading back to school Thursday with many new changes and programs in store.

Kids in Washington Heights will get a special welcome back from the mayor, governor and schools chancellor as they launch the 2-K program. The free program is rolling out in select neighborhoods, providing free preschool for more than 2,000 children. 

Also starting this year, the city is banning artificial intelligence in public schools until students reach high school. But education leaders say they are still making an effort to ensure that technology is safe by partnering with the companies that produce it.

Microsoft and the teachers' unions announced an agreement Wednesday, banning the technology giant from tracking city students. It also can't use student or teacher data to train AI models. Lastly, it won't allow AI systems to make decisions in schools without human oversight.

"Everybody has to understand this. The key to all teaching is the relationship between the teacher and the student. Nothing else will work if you don't have that," said United Federation of Teachers of New York City president Michael Mulgrew. 

The start of the school year is also coming with some setbacks for students with disabilities. A bus shortage has caused about 2,000 students with disabilities to have no transportation lined up, according to the nonprofit Advocates for Children. 

The Department of Education is providing free rideshare vouchers as a temporary option.