Victor of the district IT department briefed the USD 443 Board of Education on draft AI "guardrails" for staff and students and said the item is being presented as guidance rather than a formal policy for the coming school year.
Victor said district tools and third-party software increasingly embed AI and the IT department is working to ensure safe, FERPA-compliant use. "When it comes to FERPA, anything that's personally identifying information is really the key component that we're trying to make sure that every user understands," he said, urging staff not to include personally identifiable student data in AI prompts.
He said the document is intended to be concise and usable, and that the district plans to pilot the guidelines, gather feedback from teachers and building leaders, and then pursue a more comprehensive policy-building process. "This is just kind of a first read on kind of where the district is wanting to move forward with," he said.
Board members supported a pragmatic approach. One board member said they use AI for drafting materials and urged the district not to ban useful tools outright. The board asked IT to return with a recommended policy for formal approval next meeting and sought a stakeholder-driven process that includes teachers and students.
Ending: The board signaled it will consider the guidelines and a formal policy after staff gather feedback during the school year and return with a recommended policy for approval at a future meeting.