🏫Google Lets Schools Block Gemini But Not Search for K-12 Students

Your school's Google Workspace just got an AI opt-in

Google is making schools opt into its AI products, and search is now part of that bundle. If you're running Google Workspace for Education, nothing AI-related turns on by default anymore. Schools that want zero AI can leave everything off. Here's the catch. Search is treated as part of Google's AI portfolio, so schools that want web search for logged-in student accounts have to turn it on deliberately. When they do, they must pick between standard AI features and the Guided Learning version. Google has no option for plain search without AI, and it says it won't build a toggle to turn AI off in search. If you build tools or curricula on top of Google's education stack, expect support tickets from teachers asking where the old search went. The controls are finer-grained than before. Schools can disable Gemini apps while leaving search active for students, or block all Google AI, including the AI inside search, while keeping Gmail, Docs, and Drive running. Google says the policy offers more choice and control, and it hasn't changed the policy since announcing it. Backlash from educators and parents is already loud. Worth watching: Google lost the DOJ search antitrust case, which limits how much of its web index rivals can access. That could give other providers room to build a real alternative. Other search engines already offer settings to turn AI off, which makes Google's choice look like a deliberate bet on AI-first search.