Courtney Hofmeyer, a district technology staff member, briefed the Blue Ridge Unified School District governing board on efforts to teach AI literacy, identify risks such as plagiarism, bias and student data privacy, and prepare a fall policy and classroom practices.

Hofmeyer described school efforts to train K–12 teachers on tools including generative models and to work with local higher-education partners on bridging skills. The board unanimously approved an out-of-state, all-expenses-paid trip for Hofmeyer to attend a conference in Chicago hosted by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and ASCD (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development).

Why it matters: District leaders said AI is already affecting instruction and that teachers need guidance on detection, prevention, ethical use and privacy protections. The board heard that the district aims to incorporate an AI policy into its acceptable use procedures in the fall.

What the board heard: Hofmeyer and district staff emphasized multiple concerns around AI: plagiarism and detection limits, bias and misinformation in AI outputs, inequitable access to tools for students, data privacy governed by federal laws and the financial and environmental costs of AI infrastructure. Hofmeyer told the board the district is exploring both cloud-based and localized approaches, including on-device neural processing units that can run AI tasks locally to reduce data sharing.

Dr. Wright described the district’s intent to present a recommended policy in the fall and said the district will adapt the policy as tools and detection practices evolve. The board approved the travel request with no district cost; conference expenses will be paid by the convening organizations.

Direct quote: Courtney Hofmeyer said, “AI literacy is a little bit different because it does talk a little bit more about critically evaluating different platforms and modes of information that they're getting.”

Ending: The district will continue staff training this semester and return to the board with a proposed AI policy and classroom practices in the fall, according to administrators.