The district provided an update Sept. 9 on artificial intelligence tools and curriculum for teachers and students, saying it has deployed responsible-use guidelines, grade-level lessons and a teacher "AI champion" cohort and purchased licenses for limited staff testing.

The update matters because schools are trying to balance student safety, academic integrity and the instructional potential of generative AI while training staff to use the tools responsibly.

Andrew Fencenmaker, who led the presentation, summarized the district's multi-year work: policy changes in 2023 that require evaluation of AI tools and student training; initial curriculum development in 2023'24; and revised, standalone K'05 lessons this school year and social-studies deployment for grades 6
2. "Six in 10 teachers are using some kind of an AI tool in their work," he said, citing national survey data and local pilot experience.

Fencenmaker said the district bought 200 licenses of ChatGPT EDU for operations and staff pilots and paid for a smaller set of specialized licenses for AI-champion teachers. He said the district was partnering with Digital Promise and SchoolAI under a newly awarded Pathways to Progressions grant to support teacher training, host an AI summit, and to develop deeper data- and machine-learning foundations for students.

The presentation included examples of classroom lessons: K lessons that teach basic concepts using tools such as Google's Teachable Machine to show how models use data, and secondary lessons that emphasize critical evaluation and the productive struggle that underpins learning. The district's teacher guidelines require instructors to state explicitly whether and to what extent generative AI may be used for particular assignments.

Board members asked how teachers balance AI use with learning objectives; Fencenmaker and Superintendent Degner said success depends on explicit classroom rules, teacher professional judgment and engaging students in conversations about acceptable uses, ethics and critical evaluation. Brady Shutt, president of the Iowa City Education Association, praised collaborative work on items such as pay differentials but did not speak directly in the AI segment.

District leaders said they will reconvene the AI task force this year, continue the AI champion cohort, host an AI summit with Digital Promise and develop an AI strategic plan and a needs assessment for staff training. The district framed the work as iterative: curriculum and guidance will be revised as tools and state/national guidance evolve.

No board action was required; the presentation was informational and staff said they will return with further plans and professional learning opportunities.