Laconia High School teachers present AI committee work as district drafts policy

Laconia High School teachers told the School Board on Oct. 21 that they have formed an AI committee to learn generative tools, provide staff professional development and teach students how to use AI responsibly.

"We really are just trying to learn ourselves about AI and what this tool is all about," said Stephanie Varkanek, science department chair and a member of the high‑school AI committee, describing work that began last year with staff workshops and freshman‑seminar lessons. Varkanek said the committee used a generative tool when drafting the committee's stated goals — "I prompted it to create a goal and a purpose for our AI committee" — and that staff are experimenting with teacher tools such as Brisk and with ways to align classroom expectations with district policy.

Teachers described an "AI assessment scale" used to set transparent expectations about when students may use AI (for example, grammar corrections) and when AI use is prohibited (for summative assessments that measure individual writing ability). Presenters emphasized teacher checkpoints and student conferencing so teachers can verify student understanding. "If you've taught English... it's abundantly clear when they say hi," a presenter said, describing checks that reveal whether a student truly understands a topic.

The committee also warned staff about so‑called AI "hallucinations" — fabricated facts or sources produced by generative models — and advised teachers to require students who use AI to verify sources, to edit AI output, and to include human review. "Even if you are allowed to use AI ... it's still your responsibility to edit it, to read it, to make sure that it is giving you correct information," Karen Abraham told the board.

Presenters described staff professional development in short blocks during staff time and after school, freshman seminar lessons that introduced all freshmen to consistent classroom expectations regarding AI, and plans to align classroom practice with the AI policy the district's policy committee is drafting. The teacher team also flagged parent education as a possible next step and said they send some notices to parents through freshman seminar materials.

Why it matters: the presentation shows the district moving from ad hoc classroom responses to coordinated teacher training and a clearer set of expectations for students. The board's policy committee has begun drafting an AI/IT policy that will inform districtwide practice and that teachers said will help create consistent expectations across classrooms.