Carson City teachers pilot "AI Learning Ambassadors" program to craft classroom guidance and a stoplight policy

Teachers in Carson City presented work from the district's Artificial Intelligence Learning Ambassadors (AILA) cohort at the June 10 Board of Trustees meeting, outlining classroom uses, teacher training and a proposed stoplight framework for consistent AI expectations across grades.

Mary Pray, the district professional learning coordinator, said Superintendent Fueling asked staff to create an evidence-based approach so teachers and students could "use it wisely and not wildly." She introduced 16 teachers who volunteered for a year-long cohort to study tools, ethics, assessment and data-security implications of classroom AI.

Teachers reported practical classroom experience and recommended district-level guardrails. Jessica Scholes, a digital explorers and CTE teacher, said she uses AI mainly for revision and lesson planning: "It has been a huge time saver," she said, but warned that students often mistake AI output as factual and need instruction in verification and citation. Tamara Turnbow, head of the English department at Carson High School, demonstrated that current detector tools are unreliable and argued that teachers should assess the student thinking process as much as the final product.

The cohort's recommended operational pieces included: - A stoplight rubric for assignments (red = no AI, yellow = guided/transparent AI use, green = encouraged creative AI use) calibrated by grade band (K–2, 3–5, 6–8, 9–12). - Deployment of a controlled platform (Magic School) that allows teachers to enable, pause or restrict specific AI tools per assignment and per classroom. - Professional learning that includes certification in the district's chosen platform and school-based AI learning ambassadors to support peers. - Data-privacy rules: district staff warned that free public tools may collect inputs; district-supplied or licensed tools (Magic School, Google Gemini for students 13+) reduce data exposure. District technology staff confirmed that Magic School is available K–12 within teacher-managed classrooms, Gemini is open for students 13 and older under Google Education licensing, and ChatGPT is available to staff but blocked on some city-managed networks.

Teachers said AI can aid differentiation and accessibility for students with diverse learning needs. Marvely Clayworth, a speech-language pathologist, said she used AI to generate interest-based lessons and differentiated materials for students with varying reading levels. Presenters stressed transparency: when AI assists feedback or evaluation, teachers should disclose its use and incorporate process-based assessments that document students' prompt history and revision.

Board members praised the cohort and asked staff to continue the work next year. Technology staff confirmed some providers are paid/licensed and that teachers were advised not to put personally identifiable information into free public AI services. District leaders said they will continue developing policy and professional learning, and consider board-level guidance on acceptable AI use and data protections.