District outlines AI strategy, emphasizing literacy, safeguards and human oversight

Director David (Dave) Shulkin presented the district's artificial intelligence strategy and urged the board to treat AI as a tool that requires human oversight. "AI is nothing more than this. It is a pattern recognizer," Shulkin said, adding that outputs are probabilistic and require educator judgment.

Shulkin described core AI types (machine learning, neural networks, deep learning), demonstrated classroom uses and cited benefits such as personalized learning, faster customization of IEP-related materials and accessibility supports (translation and differentiated reading levels). He gave examples from district teachers who used AI to produce a 5-minute drama script or to adapt an IEP plan in minutes, saying the technology can free teachers from mundane tasks and allow more focus on instruction.

He also outlined the risks: bias in model outputs (illustrated by an example where image generation largely produced white, female "typical teacher" images), privacy concerns for student data, "hallucinations" (incorrect AI outputs), drift over time and potential disruption of entry-level work. On bias he warned that models trained on uneven data can produce misleading signals and that human critical thinking is needed to surface anomalies.

Shulkin described the district's approach: an AI roadmap, an AI steering committee and work groups to develop guidelines, teacher toolkits and metrics for AI literacy. He said the district already uses a controlled platform, "Magic School AI," in which approved models do not train on district-provided student data and that the data "stays within us." Shulkin recommended embedding AI literacy across grade bands rather than an isolated class, and said the district will measure usage and impact rather than raw adoption numbers.

The board followed with questions about academic integrity and classroom practice. Shulkin said teachers typically investigate suspected misuse by asking students to show their work and by reviewing revision history in collaborative documents; when needed, assessments can be reissued or redesigned to focus on higher-order skills rather than recall.

Shulkin concluded that AI should augment, not replace, "natural intelligence" and reiterated that the district will focus on safety, privacy controls and preparing teachers and students with evaluative skills to spot and correct problematic outputs. The board asked staff to continue engagement with the strategic plan to align AI literacy with curriculum priorities.