A U.S. Senate education hearing centered on how schools should deploy AI with guardrails that protect “human judgment.” Witnesses told lawmakers that states and districts need practical standards while teacher training keeps pace with AI’s fast development. Cynthia Marten, Delaware’s secretary of education, argued that AI can expand opportunity when policymakers “lead with strong guardrails” and evaluate tools by outcomes rather than hype. The hearing also highlighted the current lack of federal rules governing AI use in schools, even as states and districts move to adopt their own requirements. The testimony referenced state initiatives including Delaware’s AI Assurance Lab, a process that evaluates AI tools with teacher input on safety and learning impact. The policy debate comes alongside broader concerns about cheating and student learning risks if AI tools are integrated without clear academic integrity and instruction boundaries.