District forms AI committee; staff to develop guidance and training amid FERPA, cybersecurity questions

Worthington Public School District staff reported a new district AI committee and described plans for brief guidance and staff training before a wider fall rollout, while trustees raised questions about student privacy, vendor safeguards and insurance coverage.

Amy Ernst (presenter) described a short, one-page guidance document for staff and a training timeline that would run from March through June with the goal of delivering training in the fall. She showed an AI-made example video to illustrate generative tools and said the committee will pilot guidance and training priorities.

Board members asked how student data protections, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), apply when the district considers AI tools that would process student information. Eric (board member) asked specifically about liability and whether student data sent to vendors would be protected. Amy said the district has cybersecurity insurance that covers many hack-related incidents but that the specific implications of third-party AI services remain to be determined; she said the district will meet with a vendor on Friday to discuss FERPA compliance and related safeguards. “Potentially, we would like to outsource it somewhere else,” Amy said when describing options; she added that “potentially, we have LLM on-site where our data stays on-site” if external solutions do not meet requirements.

Why it matters: Trustees said AI tools could offer personalized learning and administrative efficiencies, but they emphasized the need to verify where data is stored, how it is used, and whether vendors meet student-privacy requirements before deployment.

Ending: The board did not take action; staff said they will continue committee work, meet vendors to vet FERPA and cybersecurity issues, and return with training materials and recommended guidance.