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Peninsula School District launches PSD401.ai resource site; staff detail data-security and use cases
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Summary
Director of research James Cantenwein presented PSD401.ai, a district AI resource and guidance site, describing its audience, data-security features and early usage; he said the site uses a model-access approach that keeps district data in secure servers.
Peninsula School District staff on March 18 introduced PSD401.ai, a district website that assembles AI guidance, policies and instructional/operational use cases intended primarily for other school systems, higher education and district staff.
James Cantenwein, director of research and assessment, presented the site as a resource for districts and educators asking “What are we doing around AI?” He said the site is organized into sections for policies (framed as guidance, not fixed rules), data-security advice, a blog of use cases and a repository of presentations and workshops the district has delivered.
Cantenwein described a district arrangement—based on a model used by Vanderbilt University—to provide staff and some students with access to higher-capacity “frontier” AI models via an API that runs in district-controlled server instances. He said that approach reduces costs (he reported savings compared to paid individual accounts) and prevents data from being sent to model providers’ external systems. Cantenwein said the district had about 1,300 users since the site’s soft launch and that other Education Service Districts have begun linking to PSD401.ai for regional training.
Cantenwein and colleagues emphasized that the site includes peer-reviewed articles and critical perspectives on AI—examples include studies showing poor learning outcomes when students use AI without proper instructional scaffolding—and that guidance will evolve as tools change. He invited staff and students to submit use cases and noted that the site’s presentations are available under a Creative Commons license for others to adapt.
Board members asked whether the site could be displayed on the boardroom screen and about specific use cases (for example, equitable funding-formula tools), and presenters pointed to a QR code and printed cards for attendees to access the site. No board action was taken; the presentation was informational.
