K–12 schools need artificial intelligence policies for staff and students, according to an EdTech article. No federal policy on school use of AI currently exists. AI guidance from the departments of education in at least 22 states does specify school policies.
Still, more than half (60%) of educators say they “somewhat” or “completely” disagree that their district has made clear its policies, Education Week reports.
Districts must work as hard to communicate their policies as they do to create them, because when it comes to AI, “people are going to use it, and we can’t stop it,” says Tracey Rowley, senior director of educational technology at Tucson (Ariz.) Unified School District.
In Tucson, “our policy is not just for students. It’s also for teachers and for our staff,” Rowley says. “We wanted to give people guidelines and guardrails, so they have an understanding about how to use it responsibly and ethically.”
The policy’s basic premise: “AI is meant to enhance what we’re doing but it should not replace anybody,” Rowley says.
When it comes to AI outputs, ethical use means “not just copying and pasting and taking what it says,” she says. “You need to be looking at your responses for fairness and equity.”
Other districts are writing their own AI guiding principles.
“AI should bolster teaching and learning,” says Greenwich (Conn.) Public Schools Superintendent Toni Jones.
“We don’t want to assume our staff know generative AI versus nongenerative AI,” Jones says. “Then, (the policy) covers things like access and permission, ethical use, and data privacy and security.”
Best practices around details such as proper citation for AI and data privacy are part of the policy. It also covers “plagiarism, cheating and misinformation,” Jones says.
Districts should take a collaborative approach with departments and stakeholders when crafting AI policies.
“I put a committee together of teachers across the district who were interested in this topic, and they went out and studied AI policy from Brown University, Harvard and other leaders in the field,” Jones says. “Then, our board’s policy committee looked at what we had done, and they created the policy.”
Rowley’s district policy was a two-year process. “We started by creating a task force, and I invited anybody and everybody,” she says. “We had teachers and staff members from HR, from purchasing, from communications,” she says. The board then shared its input through two rounds of revisions before releasing the final policy.
Rowley has communicated the policy through various channels. “We are getting it on our website so parents and the public can see it. We have robust communications to all our teachers and staff,” she says.
“We’ve done training for teachers and for departments, and I’ve done training for parents at parent groups,” Rowley says. “Any chance we get in a group setting we’ll talk about it, direct people to it and give people resources.”
How do districts handle pushback from stakeholders, users and the community about AI policies?
Jones had to allay fears that AI would deprive students of the chance to build critical thinking skills. Hands-on exposure to AI tools helps to reframe that narrative. “Once teachers learn about it, most leave very excited about the possibilities for enhancing the classroom,” she says.
Rowley’s district’s policy tackles that fear with the “stoplight system” developed by Arizona’s Agua Fria Union High School District.
“Red is no use. Yellow is limited use under these specific guidelines; it’s very moderate and careful use,” Rowley explains. “Then green is, we’re using it, and teachers can make the choice.”
EdTech
