A final vote for approval and public hearing will be held at 6 p.m. on May 13.
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- The Leon County School District is implementing a new AI policy to address its growing presence in schools.
- Authorized uses of AI include research assistance, data analysis, translation, grammar and spelling corrections, and assistance for students with disabilities.
- The policy also emphasizes academic honesty and prohibits cheating in any form, including using AI to generate content and submitting it as one’s own.
As artificial intelligence has become a growing presence nationwide in schools, the Leon County School District is looking to give students and staff guidance on how to use it with a new policy set for an adoption vote in May.
Discussions of an AI policy started at the Feb. 3 school board retreat after board member Darryl Jones asked staff to draft a policy to outline boundaries of the technology that is sweeping the country.
Currently, AI chatbots are not accessible on district computers or networks, so students aren’t allowed to use them. Teachers can use the technology for lesson planning purposes.
“We recognize that AI can be used in a positive manner, and it is something that our teachers and our students are going to have access to, and we support that,” LCS Director of Curriculum Services Lewis Blessing told the board at a meeting Monday, March 24.
“While we are going to use AI, there are ways it is going to be used safely,” Blessing said.
Blessing said there are free software options the district can choose from and there are some that could cost money, but he won’t know what direction is best to take until the policy is adopted. He said details on costs of training for teachers and purchase of access to the software won’t be known until the summer.
“We are still evaluating our decisions on what we will do if it gets adopted,” he said.
AI usage in the district will only be used on “closed systems,” meaning the software won’t store any memories or “learn” from uploaded material. Most mainstream chatbots, like ChatGPT, retain information – a concern for the district when protecting student data.
An example of an AI platform that could be used is operated by Khan Academy and known as Khanmigo, Blessing said, describing a learning tool that helps students complete assignments.
The policy makes clear to students that cheating and harassment are direct violations and consequences can be as severe as expulsion. A companion policy ensuring “academic honesty” also was presented.
“We thought it was crucial that this policy accompanied the AI policy,” LCS Director of Labor, Policy and Compliance Wallace Knight told the board.
Board members embraced the policies and unanimously approved both measures during a school board meeting Tuesday, March 25. The next step is to advertise them to the public before taking a final vote.
The “academic honesty safeguard prohibits cheating in any form, including using AI to “create content and then submitting the content as one’s own.”
According to the AI policy, students are allowed to use AI only if they are permitted by a teacher, but it is “strictly prohibited as the primary or sole means of completing schoolwork.”
“AI should be used to assist, not to complete,” Blessing said of the pointed companion policy. “AI can help us do things, it should not take the place of our own creativity.”
Here are the identified authorized uses of AI:
- Research assistance to quickly and efficiently find information relevant to school assignments.
- Analyze large amounts of data for assignments.
- Translate languages in documents.
- Provide grammar and spelling corrections.
- Assistance for students with disabilities to understand materials.
What’s next
A final vote for approval and public hearing will be held at 6 p.m. on May 13.
Alaijah Brown covers children & families for the Tallahassee Democrat. She can be reached at ABrown1@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter/X: @AlaijahBrown3.
