District 25 members flag classroom AI issues; leaders propose districtwide guidance

District 25 leaders raised concerns about inconsistent or inappropriate use of artificial intelligence tools in instruction and assessment and proposed creating district-level guidance for responsible use.

Several participants described local examples. Sharnette and others recounted a ninth-grade English assessment that, they said, contained questions and quoted text that were not in the assigned edition of Animal Farm; a student who challenged the items reported the discrepancy to the teacher. Sharnette said the teacher acknowledged the issue and that AI-generated content may have been used to create test items. The DLT discussed the risk that AI-generated or poorly vetted material could introduce inaccuracies into instruction and assessment.

Members urged proactive district work on AI policy and training. Doctor Mike proposed convening a small working group (school leaders, parents, teachers) to define a district vision for AI, including ethical and instructional guidelines, examples of appropriate classroom use, and checks teachers should perform before deploying AI-generated material. Gus and others said any guidance should include a requirement that teachers review and verify AI outputs before using them in assessments or instructional materials.

Participants also shared positive uses: Rachel and members noted a demonstration of AI to generate meeting minutes that saved volunteer parent leaders time, though they emphasized that outputs must be reviewed by a human for accuracy. The DLT did not adopt formal policy in the meeting but signaled interest in convening a working group to draft practical, district-level guidance and training for staff and parent leaders on responsible AI use.