A New York school paused its $60,000 AI robot. The state wanted to know where student data was going.

Salamanca's school board approved a roughly $60,000 humanoid robot named "Sally" for the high school robotics program, then paused the pilot a week later after pushback from the state, the teachers' union, and parents.

Sally, made by Realbotix, is stationary, with long dark hair, movable arms, and nonworking legs. Superintendent Mark Beehler pitched her as a robotics and tech-education aid, citing Arduino tutoring as a use case and inviting students to "Ask Sally."

The pushback came in three lanes. State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa sent a data-privacy letter flagging a contradiction: a recent board presentation framed Sally as a "tutoring platform" even as officials confirmed the robot would not deliver classroom instruction. New York State United Teachers President Melinda Person said the vendor had "no business in our classrooms," citing Realbotix's sister company, which makes hyper-realistic sex dolls. Parents asked where student data would go.

The district and Realbotix say the two manufacturers operate independently, and the board's signed agreement is public. Per the district's Facebook statement, the pilot is on hold pending "enhanced student data privacy agreements" and continued community outreach.