EPIC Urges D.C. Council to Protect Student Privacy and Pass Strong Procurement Guidelines for Edtech

EPIC submitted public testimony to the D.C. Council Committee of the Whole urging them to pass strong procurement guidelines for technology that utilizes AI or automated decision-making systems in schools.

On October 9, 2026, the Council held a public hearing seeking to understand how schools are utilizing technology to educate students in the district. EPIC applauds the Council’s interest on this important issue and encourages them to improve public education governance by establishing procurement guardrails that can prevent harmful or unproven technology to enter schools.

Edtech tools have been a privacy and cybersecurity nightmare for students due to the amount of data being collected. AI edtech tools can also pose a particular threat to students’ civil rights, especially for students from historically marginalized communities.

EPIC’s testimony provided recommended procurement standards and a risk assessment framework for the Council to consider. We also advise the Council to restrict harmful high-risk use cases and urge them to increase transparency and recourse for students impacted by edtech.

EPIC has long advocated for stronger procurement standards that improve the way governments acquire and use AI systems that impact people’s lives. We have written about how states can protect privacy by closing the oversight gap on technology procurement as well as urged the Office of Management and Budget to adopt AI procurement guidelines that protect civil rights and increase transparency. We have also published several reports related to state AI procurement, risk assessments, and automated decision-making systems within the District.