This must include helping educators learn how to effectively use the technology.

For further information contact:
Chris Lilienthal (717) 712-6677
Sandy Williams (717) 919-3248

HARRISBURG, PA (April 21, 2026) — Educators, policymakers, and parents must recognize that students are using AI and work together to educate them on how to use it responsibly, testified an educator and leader with the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) and National Education Association (NEA) during a state House Education Committee hearing Tuesday.

Melissa Costantino-Poruben is a sixth grade math teacher in the Avonworth School District in Allegheny County with 26 years of classroom experience. She also serves as an NEA director for PSEA.

“If I could leave you with two messages today, it is that schools need to take an active role in creating a generation of responsible AI users, and that all of us — elected officials, policymakers, and educators — need to work together to ensure that our state and its schools take a human-centered approach to generative AI,” Costantino-Poruben said.

“The first step is to recognize that education needs to prioritize a human-centered approach to AI, which focuses on human well-being, values, and needs. The goal is to augment and empower people rather than replace them, including educators and students.”

Schools must also figure out how to navigate this new frontier, including providing educators with support to learn how to effectively use the technology — both for instructional purposes and to do their jobs more efficiently.

Costantino-Poruben noted that the NEA partnered with Microsoft to offer 13 “micro-credential” courses to help educators develop the critical thinking skills to evaluate AI outputs, recognize bias and ethical concerns, understand AI's societal and environmental impact, and use generative AI tools creatively and responsibly in classrooms.

Costantino-Poruben emphasized the need to prioritize the development of students’ critical thinking skills.

“If we ignore AI, then our students will default to using AI to think for them,” she said. “They will not develop essential critical thinking skills that are necessary to succeed as an adult or be healthy, engaged citizens in our communities. The education system — both public and nonpublic — should not ignore its responsibility toward helping its staff and students become informed and responsible users of AI technology.”

Costantino-Poruben identified four public policy proposals that state lawmakers should consider to ensure that Pennsylvania prioritizes a human-centered approach to AI:

• Prohibit educators from being replaced by generative AI to provide instruction or student services.
• Prohibit the use of generative AI in making decisions regarding employee recruitment, hiring, retention, promotion, transfer, evaluation, demotion, or dismissal.
• Prohibit the use of generative AI in making final determinations on student assessments and evaluations.
• Prohibit consideration of charter and cyber charter applications or renewals that rely on AI to provide instruction to students.

Costantino-Poruben also urged lawmakers to put “guardrails” in place to protect children.

“Young people are discovering AI on their own — sometimes with horrific consequences,” she said. “Its transformative nature necessitates guardrails to protect the well-being of all citizens, but particularly children and youth. These situations should spur all of us — elected officials, policymakers, educators, and parents — to demand action.”

Read Costantino-Poruben’s full testimony here.

In May 2024, the PSEA House of Delegates voted to create the Artificial Intelligence Task Force to evaluate the impact of AI on educators, students, the educational system, and society. Read the task force’s May 2025 report here.

An affiliate of the National Education Association, PSEA represents about 177,000 active and retired educators and school employees, aspiring educators, higher education staff, and health care workers in Pennsylvania.