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Sunnyside presents draft AI guidance, teacher survey shows growing classroom use
Summary
District technologists briefed the board on a draft generative AI guidance aligned to Arizona’s state recommendations and reported results from an internal teacher survey showing substantial use of AI tools for lesson planning and instruction.
Sunnyside Unified School District staff presented a draft set of generative artificial intelligence guidelines to the governing board and summarized a teacher survey that found growing use of AI tools in classrooms.
Veronica Ortega, Instructional Technology Systems coordinator, told the board the district drafted guidance using the Arizona AI Guidance and the Arizona State Challenge as templates. Ortega said the district will make Google’s Gemini available to staff inside the district Google Workspace and encourage teachers who create external accounts to avoid using district single‑sign‑on passwords.
Ortega outlined the district’s three-part approach drawn from the state challenge: identify approved AI tools and classroom uses; explain pitfalls and student‑data protections; and create a system to communicate AI expectations to staff and students. She emphasized FERPA and student data safeguards, and recommended staff training before broader student rollout.
The presentation included results from an internal teacher survey: 197 staff responded; 71 said they were currently using AI tools in teaching or planning. Respondents reported use across subjects, with the largest counts in English language arts (79), math (75) and science (74). Common uses included lesson planning (49 teachers reported), classroom activities/discussions (35), assignments/projects (25) and assessment creation or grading (18). Teachers also reported concerns about academic integrity, accuracy and impact on critical thinking.
Board members asked about training, accuracy, and whether staff and students would receive access at the same time. District leaders said teachers will get initial access and training and that ongoing professional learning will focus on responsible prompting, AI limitations, and assessment design. Ortega said the district aims to participate in the Arizona AI Challenge and to follow state guidance while developing local practice.
No board vote was required for the informational presentation; trustees asked that training and board briefings continue as the district develops policy.
