Blaine School District students and staff will have more defined guidelines for using artificial intelligence following recent school board approval of district-drafted policies surrounding the technology.
Board members unanimously approved policy 2023, discussing AI use and guidelines, in a 4-0 vote during their May 26 meeting. Board member Erika Creydt was not in attendance.
“We need to figure out as a district how we can use AI to enhance learning,” Blaine Superintendent Dan Chaplik said.
The policy was intended to create clear expectations for AI use throughout schools. District leaders described the policy as supporting ethical and responsible uses of AI, promoting innovation and digital literacy, and protecting data.
The policy applies to students and staff as well as district-issued and personal devices connected to the district network. Teachers will have the final decision on how much AI is used in their classrooms.
Chaplik said when he first presented the policy to the board in April that it was a response to students using AI in ways that the district didn’t consider appropriate.
The policy considers AI as appropriate when it’s used for learning, developing ideas, instructional support and staff efficiency.
AI is prohibited for cheating, plagiarism and sharing misleading or inappropriate content. Confidential or personally identifiable information is also not allowed to be entered into AI tools, and staff members are responsible for ensuring student data privacy is protected.
Under the new policy, staff must assess AI for accuracy, bias and misinformation. Teachers are also instructed to not replace their judgment or critical thinking with AI.
District leaders drafted the policy, unlike most policies brought before the board, which are often recommended by the Washington State School Directors’ Association.
According to the policy, the district will provide training and guidance to staff and students, approve AI tools and update guidance as new technology is released.
The district will follow disciplinary actions already established in its other policies if the AI rules are not followed. Consequences may also include loss of AI tools and district technologies.
