Administrators can't separate the two. They can't switch off Gemini-powered features while keeping Search, and they can't block AI Overviews while keeping standard search. Chris Phillips, Google's vice president of education, has defended the arrangement by saying that "Search and AI are deeply integrated." Some reports describe Search as off by default alongside the AI tools until administrators enable it. Others say only the AI tools start off, with Search becoming inaccessible if they stay that way.

Google is pairing the change with a new option for districts that opt in. By early 2027 they will be offered two versions of search: one with AI Overviews, summaries, chats and other AI features active, and one built around Guided Learning, a more controlled student-facing tool. Guided Learning uses Socratic prompts to get students to "work through problems without skipping straight to answers," in Google's words, an approach it has described as "productive struggle." It is being added to AI Overviews in Search through a pilot in select US schools this month, and it is already part of Google Classroom.

The reach is large. Google's K-12 tools, including Workspace for Education and Classroom, are used by more than 150 million students and teachers, and Chromebooks make up roughly 60 percent of classroom devices. New York City Public Schools and Los Angeles Unified School District, which together enroll about 1.4 million students, are among the districts that moved to restrict generative AI while keeping standard Search. Under the new rules, that combination would no longer be available to them.

The policy follows Google's decision this year to turn Gemini on by default in Classroom, which drew skepticism and what The New York Times described as "fierce opposition from educators and parents alike." Their concerns included cheating, misinformation, students leaning on chatbots, and falling test scores. Lawmakers questioned Google in October about the potential harms of AI in schools. Google has said the new framework reflects feedback from schools, teachers, researchers and policymakers.

Critics are unconvinced. Morgan Polikoff, an education professor at the University of Southern California, called it "a particularly clear example of the tech industry going out of its way to force A.I. on us all -- even if we have said we don't want it." The consumer version of Guided Learning has also drawn scrutiny: the Times reported that it once produced a detailed essay in response to an Advanced Placement history prompt.

Parents who want to know where their child's school stands can ask the district which Google services are currently enabled and what it plans to do before the changes arrive.