Martin County recognizes inaugural AI teacher leaders as district expands classroom use of artificial intelligence

The Martin County School Board on Sept. 16 recognized the district27s inaugural cohort of AI teacher leaders and received a progress report on the program that trained teachers to use artificial intelligence tools in classroom instruction.

Heather Platt, director of professional learning, said the district launched the AI teacher leaders program last school year to "build internal capacity." Patrick Cermino, a digital learning specialist, told the board the program sought teachers "who were ready to move forward," and that 41 teacher leaders across elementary, middle and high schools volunteered for deeper training.

The presenters described a limited, curated set of district-approved platforms. Cermino said the district currently maintains nine AI platforms on its network, seven of which are approved for student use. He told the board those platforms have data-privacy agreements with the district and are set so teachers can view every student interaction with the tools.

The presentation included classroom examples. Cermino said fourth-graders at Hope Sound Elementary used a program to interact with historical chatbots created from district curriculum materials, and used a platform called Class Companion to get feedback on student writing drafts. "It won't write any part of it for her, but it'll guide her through the writing process," he said of the feedback students receive.

Board member Roberts asked whether the curriculum placed into the AI platforms must go through the district adoption process. Platt replied that the materials teachers upload into the platforms are "district approved curriculum" and described the platforms as "curriculum agnostic" tools that teachers use with approved curriculum. Roberts followed up asking whether the usage data shown in the presentation covered a full year; Cermino said the numbers were from the entire 2024-25 school year and that teacher leader work began in November of that year.

Platt and Cermino told the board the district27s teacher interactions with AI totaled nearly half a million for the 2024-25 school year and that interactions were expected to increase as more students begin to use the approved platforms.

Board members questioned classification of the digital tools. Roberts sought clarity on whether the curriculum components put into the systems were "supplemental" and therefore exempt from the formal adoption process; Platt confirmed the platforms are supplemental tools used with district-approved curriculum and do not themselves replace the adoption process.

The board publicly recognized the teacher leaders by name and paused for photos. No formal action or policy change was taken during the presentation; staff said the effort is part of ongoing professional learning and classroom integration plans.

The district indicated it will continue to expand the program and that teachers and students will use a curated set of platforms subject to district data-privacy agreements.