Board presses district on AI policy and academic‑integrity safeguards as task force drafts guidelines

Broward County school board members used a workshop Thursday to press district leaders for a clear approach to artificial intelligence in K‑12 classrooms, raising questions about academic integrity, enforcement and how the district will measure the impact of AI and XR pilots.

Board member Alhida asked whether Broward had an existing AI policy; staff replied there is no one policy in place and that the district’s AI Task Force — made up of teachers, students, principals and community partners — is developing an ethical implementation blueprint and a recommended academic‑integrity statement.

Why it matters: Board members said they want a balanced approach that protects academic integrity without unnecessarily restricting teacher practice or denying students access to tools. Several members urged the district to avoid crafting overly prescriptive rules that could quickly become outdated as AI platforms evolve.

What the task force is doing - Composition and cadence: District staff said the AI Task Force has met monthly since November and includes students, teachers, principals and parent input. Staff reported outreach at student government meetings and high schools to gather “boots on the ground” feedback. - Draft deliverables: Staff said the task force will deliver a draft of ethical and responsible guidelines, a toolkit, and potential language for an academic‑integrity statement that could be incorporated into the student code of conduct. - Professional learning: The district plans micro‑credentialing and leadership AI training for principals and teachers; staff mentioned June leadership courses and teacher micro‑credentials tied to AI prompting and classroom uses.

Board questions and district responses Board members pressed for specifics: Are other districts adopting rigid policies, and will Broward adopt a permissive or restrictive approach? Dr. Wilson, director of innovative learning, said the district is emphasizing guidance over a fixed policy because weekly changes in AI capabilities can render a narrow rulebook obsolete. “We need to embed language in existing policies so we’re not recreating the wheel,” she said, adding that the Office of Innovative Learning manages Turnitin and other detection tools used for academic integrity.

Several board members asked for research and vendor accountability. Dr. Cohen and Chief Academic staff said pilot programs (for example PRISMS VR and other XR/AI platforms) are being evaluated with external research partners and that vendors must have “skin in the game” by demonstrating results before broader adoption. Board members asked staff to return with ROI and PM3‑linked outcomes showing whether pilot schools outperformed comparison groups.

Board direction and next steps - Staff to bring draft AI ethical guidelines/toolkit to the board for review before the next school year. The district’s goal is a board‑level discussion and possible final rollout timed to the start of the school year. - Staff to design and deliver targeted professional learning (micro‑credentials and leadership sessions) to give teachers and leaders practical, classroom‑level skills for using AI responsibly. - The task force will continue stakeholder outreach and bring the board options (policy vs. practice/process) rather than a single prescriptive policy.

Quotes: “There is no policy, currently, which is the purpose of why we had the AI Task Force,” Dr. Khan said. Dr. Wilson said the district’s approach was to create a “fluid” document the district can update as technologies change.

Ending: Board members encouraged staff to return soon with a draft of the ethical guidelines, concrete data from pilots and a multi‑year plan that aligns AI/XR adoption to strategic priorities and the budget cycle.