District describes AI policy, Magic School and Gemini rollout funded partly by NYSED grant

Shenendehowa’s AI ad hoc committee and instructional coaches provided a broad update on the district’s approach to artificial intelligence on Nov. 18, emphasizing policy guardrails, classroom use and teacher supports.

Board discussion referenced BOE Policy 82‑72 (developed to govern ethical AI use), the need to check for AI 'hallucinations' and to protect student data under Ed Law 2‑d and FERPA. Presenters said the district has a 'walled garden' deployment for Google Gemini tied to district Google accounts and an AdLogice agreement with the vendor that prevents student‑identifiable information from being used to train public models.

The district has continued to use Magic School — an AI platform tailored for education — since January 2024 for teacher and student tools. Presenters highlighted features teachers find useful (lesson planners, report card comment generators, reading‑level adjustments) and shared usage metrics showing growth in 'generations' (teacher queries) from earlier baseline months to higher usage this year. The district also purchased Gemini licenses and Magic School access with funds from a New York State Education Department Learning Technology Grant of $300,000; those funds also support building‑level AI coordinators whose role is to provide professional development and deepen classroom implementation.

Presenters described a three‑phase grant rollout (initial planning and PD development, current professional development delivery, and an expansion/documentation phase) and said the district plans to publish resources and present the work at statewide events. Board members asked about guardrails for student use, instructor qualifications, and continued oversight; staff said training, monitoring tools and data agreements are the main protections in place.