Ouachita Parish School Board adopts AI use policy for staff and students, limits elementary access

The Ouachita Parish School Board on an unspecified date approved a new policy, EFAB, establishing guidelines for staff and student use of artificial intelligence and directing staff to form a study committee to evaluate classroom uses and security.

The policy frames AI use as an instructional and operational issue, requires district IT staff to vet and approve AI tools, and directs IT to implement and regularly reassess security and privacy protections, including protections for personally identifiable information consistent with federal privacy rules such as FERPA. The board also agreed to provide resources and guidance to parents and students on appropriate AI use.

Why it matters: The district said AI is becoming more prevalent in classrooms and can introduce new risks—ranging from plagiarism and academic dishonesty to use in bullying or creating deepfakes—so the policy aims to create consistent expectations and enforcement across schools.

Superintendent (name not specified) told the board the policy was developed internally with reference to other districts’ work and a lack of statewide guidance. The superintendent asked Adam Ambrose and IT staff to approve district tools and maintain security assessments. The board voted to create a study committee to review AI’s instructional impacts and to update the policy as the technology and law evolve.

A substantive amendment made at the meeting restricts student access to AI tools for younger pupils: students in fifth grade and below may use only COPPA‑compliant tools that have been explicitly approved by the school board. Board members discussed grade‑span enforcement rather than age verification in classrooms and agreed the district’s existing filtering rules (elementary, middle, high school spans) can be used and adjusted as needed.

Board members also discussed whether the district should ban AI, rely on detection software, or teach students to use AI as an assistive tool. The board did not adopt a ban; instead, the policy ties misuse to existing disciplinary frameworks for plagiarism, bullying and harassment.

The board approved EFAB with the amendment requiring board approval and COPPA compliance for tools available to fifth grade and younger students. The motion to approve passed with the board’s affirmative voice vote recorded as “Aye.”

Speakers quoted or named in the meeting included Superintendent (name not specified), Adam Ambrose (IT staff), and a number of board members who proposed and seconded the motion (names not specified in the transcript).