Londonderry task force outlines AI 'spectrum' for classrooms and advances academic‑integrity policy

The Londonderry School Board on Feb. 18 heard a progress report from its artificial‑intelligence task force and approved a first reading of a recommended academic‑integrity policy aimed at guiding AI use in classrooms.

Caitlin Bennett, the district's digital learning specialist for elementary schools, told the board the task force has met monthly since late 2023 and has focused on defining short‑ and long‑term goals, professional development and classroom guardrails. "We want AI to be used as a tool to supplement learning rather than supplant it," Bennett said.

The presentation described pilot uses at all grade levels. Michelle Wooding, librarian at Londonderry High School, described a library chatbot used to give students personalized feedback on professional email writing and an English teacher's practice of having students "chat" with AI about independent reading to prompt deeper responses. A middle‑school teacher said sixth‑grade projects used AI to generate creative images for student presentations.

Task force members said the district has limited the set of approved staff tools to those covered by existing licensing and privacy agreements, including Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini, Adobe Firefly, Canva and SchoolAI; most staff tools are available under current enterprise licenses, while student access is restricted to products with appropriate data‑privacy agreements. The task force also introduced a "spectrum of collaboration" teachers will use to mark how much AI assistance is permitted on a given assignment, from "I did nothing" to full AI‑generated content. The district plans professional development this spring and summer so staff can apply the spectrum consistently.

Board member Kevin Gray supported the proactive approach. "If we try to pretend it's not there and say we're just going to leave it out ... we're putting our students at a severe disadvantage," Gray said.

The school board approved the first reading of policy IKL, labeled an academic‑integrity policy that explicitly references artificial intelligence and a district portrait of a graduate. The policy frames permitted uses, describes academic‑honesty violations (cheating, improper use, plagiarism, collusion), and instructs staff to consult the spectrum when setting assignment expectations. The motion passed on a unanimous voice vote recorded as 5‑0.

Next steps: task force members said they will continue drafting classroom procedures and handbook language for the middle and high schools this spring, and return with more detailed procedures and a professional‑development playbook before fall 2025.