USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN THE SCHOOL
The board recognizes the potential benefits of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in enhancing educational outcomes and requiring innovative teaching practices, in part because this technology is already available to many students at home. This policy aims to ensure the responsible use of AI technologies within the school district along with teaching and homework strategies that consider the probability that students can easily access AI outside the school.
Artificial Intelligence Definition:
AI involves the operation of computer systems that process natural language to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as the construction of complex responses to inquiries, visual perception in images or videos, speech recognition, decision-making, and translation between languages. It can generally expand, modify, and clarify its responses through repeated requests or additional specific directions. Commonly used AI systems include ChatGPT, Bard, Cohere Generate, DALL-E, Claude, and Synthesia but many AI systems are available for specific purposes and it is the administrators’ responsibility to choose those suitable for an educational environment.
Ethical Considerations:
Any use of AI as part of the district’s instructional program should prioritize its educational value, while avoiding discrimination and minimizing unwanted outcomes. Only AI platforms approved by the district with appropriate filters for preventing the use of discriminatory, hateful or otherwise inappropriate responses shall be used by the district. The use of AI by students to complete homework or assessments shall only be allowed to the extent stated by the teacher for the individual assignment or entirety of the course. The use of AI systems when allowed shall not violate computer use, copyright, plagiarism and intellectual property policies of the district when properly cited.
As always, students are expected to cite original sources for quotations, facts, information, statistics, dates, or the paraphrased statements of others. An AI system should be cited when its generated content is quoted, paraphrased or otherwise used in a student’s work. The lack of such citations shall imply the assignment or assessment is entirely the work of the student, free of any AI system’s writing, organization, direction, or modification of the student’s work.
Student Privacy and Data Protection:
Prior informed consent from parents/guardians should be obtained before allowing student use of AI systems. The district will prevent or strongly discourage any collecting, storing, or analyzing of student data using AI platforms. Measures should be in place to prevent students from using AI to cheat on homework or assessments, including regular monitoring of student use of school computers, and planning homework and assessments to minimize the opportunity to complete them using AI systems. The administrators and staff are cautioned that the use of detection software as a means of monitoring AI use is fallible, difficult to prove, easily subject to claims of harassment, destructive of trust when false accusations are made, and unlikely to be successful with AI systems that are constantly improving.
Equity and Accessibility:
Use of AI systems shall comply with district Equal Educational Opportunity policies. AI-based instructional resources should be tailored to address individual student needs, allowing for personalized learning experiences and accommodating diverse learning styles when possible and appropriate.
Transparency and Rationale:
Students, parents/guardians, and educators should be provided with understandable information about the purpose, limitations, and potential benefits of AI technologies. Clear guidelines should be established to ensure that students are aware of the district’s intended appropriate use of AI tools for homework and assessments. Consideration should be taken by the teaching staff that AI availability on district networks for its use as a business tool does not facilitate the misuse of AI in completing homework or compromising academic integrity.
Educator Training and Professional Development:
Educators should receive comprehensive training and ongoing professional development opportunities to understand the benefits and limitations of AI technologies, enabling them to both effectively incorporate and appropriately limit AI in their teaching practices. Educators should be equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to evaluate and monitor student inputs to AI systems, AI responses to those inputs, and ensuring they are both appropriate.
Ongoing Evaluation and Accountability:
Administrators, network supervisors, and teaching staff will establish processes for ongoing evaluation and monitoring of AI technologies used within the school district, including periodic assessments of their impact on student learning. Procedures for reporting concerns, incidents, or breaches related to AI use should be established, ensuring accountability and addressing issues promptly.
Community Engagement and Communication:
The school board will engage with the community, including students, parents/guardians, educators, and relevant stakeholders, to foster understanding, gather comments, and address concerns related to the use of AI in education. Clear and regular communication channels including the district’s website should be established to inform the community about the educational purpose, use, and benefits of AI technologies in the school district, along with measures taken to prevent inappropriate use of AI systems.
Implementation:
Administrators will provide procedures and professional development resources to assist with instructional changes that use the best features of AI while reducing the misuse of AI in completing homework and assessments. These procedures will emphasize the use of AI to enhance student education and address the ways traditional homework might be reshaped or redirected by AI’s skillful use. Regular reviews will be conducted to ensure this policy's effectiveness, alignment with emerging best practices, and adaptations to address evolving challenges in AI usage.
Cross Reference 102 Educational Philosophy of the District
501 Objectives for Equal Educational Opportunities for
Students
606.06 Acceptable Use of Computers, Tech. and the Internet
606.08 Reproduction of Copyrighted Materials
Approved October 9, 2023
