Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Student Voice topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Student representatives report school events and urge clear AI guidance for classroom use
Summary
Student advisory speakers from multiple Springfield high schools updated the school committee on end-of-year events, extracurricular successes and a district IT task force seeking student input on AI guidelines.
Student representatives from Central High School, Scitech, Conservatory of the Arts, Putnam Vocational Technical Academy, Renaissance High School, Springfield Public Day High School and the Springfield Virtual School gave updates to the Springfield Public Schools School Committee and urged clearer guidance on classroom use of artificial intelligence tools.
Central High senior Khaled Zamani said Central’s senior class hopes to exceed last year’s scholarship total, which he described as "$23,000,000," and noted athletic and extracurricular milestones including a renovated natatorium and JROTC distinctions. "Central's MCAT event was on December 4, and Central's seniors are trying to beat the last year's record amount of scholarships and money earned, which was $23,000,000," Zamani said.
Camara Diaz, senior class president at Scitech, described a new, schoolwide virtual town hall used to let students question administrators and a planned multicultural fair. "This meeting's main purpose is to just hear the voices of the students," Diaz said, and she outlined a prom store project to provide free formalwear and hair/makeup services to students who cannot afford them.
Conservatory of the Arts senior Jared Rivera and Putnam senior Ava Moore highlighted performances, college- and career-focused events and senior celebrations. Renaissance High School eleventh grader Brian Avila described a financial-literacy unit and an expedition program for eleventh graders. Springfield Public Day senior Adrianna Reyes described advisory lessons on driving, budgeting and a student-run school store.
Student advisory representative Serenity Martinez, who represents Springfield Virtual School, reported that the SPS IT department has convened a task force to study AI use in the district and is soliciting student input. Martinez said student feedback at the advisory council ranged from using AI as an accessibility tool to using chatbots for brainstorming, and that students want clear rules. "There are guidelines as to how to use AI and for schoolwork, of course. Using it as a tool to assist and not using it to fill in answers to assignments," Martinez said. She added students want the district to state explicitly what is acceptable use rather than only listing prohibitions.
The district’s IT task force and student advisory council plan to continue gathering student feedback to inform district guidance. Martinez said students also emphasized the need for instruction on how to use and evaluate AI-generated material and for clarity about how existing plagiarism policies apply.
School committee members thanked student speakers and noted the value of youth input for policy development. The committee did not take formal action on AI policy at the meeting; Martinez reported only that the IT department had formed a task force and solicited student feedback.
The student reports also included routine announcements about concerts, athletic events, college visits, a yearbook project and spring activities across the district’s high schools and academies.
