Key facts
- Google said schools can turn off Gemini apps and keep Search on for logged-in student accounts.
- Google's blog post said schools must opt into its AI products, which it counts Search as part of.
- A Google spokesperson told Ars the policy announced that week has not been changed.
- Google said schools that want no AI can leave all of it off, including Search.
Google said on November 5, 2026 that K-12 schools using its apps can disable Gemini applications while leaving Search active for logged-in student accounts, after the company's new education AI policy drew criticism from educators and parents.
The policy, set out in a Google blog post, requires schools to opt into Google's AI products. Google counts Search as part of that AI portfolio alongside Gemini, Gemini Notebook and Gemini in Classroom, so schools must specifically turn Search on for student accounts.
When Google announced the policy, its vice president for education spoke exclusively to The New York Times, which reported the change as Google turning off Search for schools that rejected AI. Google said in a tweet that schools can instead disable Gemini apps and keep Search, and that schools wanting no AI at all can leave everything off, including Search.
A Google spokesperson told Ars the company has not made any changes to the policy it announced that week. The spokesperson said the blog post and public statements had not fully explained the plan, and Google then described the process for schools.