Schools Are Negotiating AI's Role Without a Framework to Negotiate With

The San Francisco teachers' strike did not happen because AI arrived in classrooms. It happened because AI arrived in classrooms without anyone authorized to set terms. The United Educators of San Francisco struck for four days in February 2026 and came away with a contract clause that restricts AI use — the first such binding language in a U.S. teachers contract. The clause exists not because SFUSD was uniquely negligent but because every level of education administration has treated AI adoption as a procurement question rather than a governance one.…