Policy committee flags need for AI use guidelines; district tools locked pending agreements

The district policy committee told the board that it will draft guidelines covering staff and student use of generative artificial intelligence and that district-managed AI tools are currently locked pending privacy and data-use agreements.

The committee said Carrie and Wally had joined a recent meeting to share preliminary materials and that the purpose is to protect student data and comply with district agreements. "Wally has kept them locked down because we don't have those agreements," a policy committee presenter said. The committee emphasized the district’s history of strict data-privacy requirements for software used by students.

Committee members said there is no generative AI available to students through district-managed Google accounts at this time. They noted that granting access to a vetted, privacy-compliant tool could require budgetary decisions — including purchasing a product with acceptable data protections. "On our students' devices, there are no generative AI programs turned on right now," a committee member said. "In order to comply with student privacy laws, we may have to purchase one that could be accessible to the students. But before we do that, we would like to put guidelines in place on use for staff and students alike."

The committee also reported that volunteer and coach policies were merged for a future first reading because volunteer guidelines overlap with coach/volunteer expectations. The committee said it will return with draft guidelines and any cost implications for a future board meeting.