While many school districts do not have AI policies, Indianapolis Public Schools recently introduced a new districtwide AI policy to increase educators’ efficiency and address concerns about privacy and security, according to Chalkbeat Indiana.
The policy applies only to teachers and staff and does not include guidance on student use of artificial-intelligence technology. It details acceptable uses of AI, including generating quiz questions or practice materials under teacher supervision, enhancing instructional materials, and drafting communications. Teachers are restricted to using only district-approved AI tools.
“Eventually AI is not going to be a choice. Right now, it’s a choice,” says Ashley Cowger, the district’s chief systems officer. “And what we are wanting to do in IPS is establish some clear guardrails for what we know right now.”
Before adoption of the policy, a pilot program had 20 staff members use a district-approved AI tool throughout the year. The second phase of the pilot will be broader but still will only include teachers and staff. In this second phase, participants will use Google Gemini, at a cost of $122 per person, according to Cowger.
A list of acceptable uses was developed using results from the pilot program, which found that AI could help staff save time on complex, administrative tasks.
“We have one school principal who dove in headfirst with generative AI and has completely transformed his master schedule in secondary school,” Cowger says. “That gave a lot of time back to the team — not having to use little magnetic tiles on a whiteboard to figure out how to do all their sections and courses for their school.”
Teachers and staff are only permitted to use AI tools approved by the district in order to ensure security. Some in the district are using free generative AI tools on their own, and Cowger warns this could compromise student data, including special education plans.
Staff will have to sign responsible-use agreements. These include guidelines such as disallowing loading a student’s full Individualized Education Program into a generative AI tool.
Staff training is an important element of the district’s AI plan. The second phase of the pilot will have participants attend monthly professional development trainings on AI use and implementation. An online repository of professional development trainings will be available to staff at all times.
“We do not at any point encourage someone going in blindly to using AI,” Cowger says. “It can be a slippery slope, which is why we have put a lot of effort into developing the professional learning roadmap for AI for the pilot users for next school year.”
An AI advisory board to monitor trends in district AI use and to develop best practices is also part of the policy’s initiatives.
Chalkbeat Indiana
