Frederick County Public Schools banned all student use of generative AI — including Google Gemini, across pre-K through 12th grade on Wednesday, just weeks after rolling out Gemini to middle and high schoolers with teacher permission. The 6–1 board vote makes it one of the strictest AI restrictions in U.S. Public education this year. It also marks a reversal: the district had positioned Gemini as its approved, state-vetted AI tool, the only one cleared for classroom use under Maryland’s privacy and safety standards. Now, even that exception is gone. Except for AI literacy lessons and accommodations for students with disabilities. Teachers can’t disable Gemini on student devices, and parents weren’t notified before its rollout. One board member cited incidents of AI generating inappropriate images of students and offering harmful mental health advice. Educators are already reverting to paper-and-pencil assignments to prevent AI-assisted cheating, a tactic familiar since ChatGPT’s 2023 surge. The ban follows similar moves in New York City (elementary and middle school only) and Los Angeles (temporary district-wide block). Frederick County’s policy takes effect immediately. Next step: the district will draft formal AI guidelines by December, per curriculum director Scott Murphy.