Chatham County Schools staff described the district’s approach to digital learning and generative artificial intelligence at a board meeting, outlining classroom safeguards, teacher training and a gamified certification program for staff.

Mark Sandberg, the district’s chief of technology and school accountability, said the district maps its digital learning standards to state guidance and ISTE standards, differentiating digital learning from general screen time and emphasizing that technology should be a tool, not the task. He highlighted monitoring tools such as Gaggle and GoGuardian for student safety and described district-licensed AI offerings for educators, including Magic School and the education edition of Google Gemini. Sandberg said those education licenses do not allow student data to be mined to train large models under the Google Workspace for Education agreement.

Kira Bergen, director of digital learning and media programs, described the district’s AI pedagogies document, which she said is aligned with state guidance and will be distributed to schools. Bergen said the district tracks an AI implementation timeline and will deliver classroom-facing posters in January that clarify permitted AI use on assignments and offer a rubric for teachers.

Bergen and Sandberg described DISC (Digital Innovation Summit Challenge), a district program funded through a modified Department of Public Instruction grant. Teachers can earn micro-credentials for demonstrated classroom implementation (ten micro-credentials are available), submit artifacts for review against a two-point rubric, and receive recognition, digital badges and CEUs. Bergen said parent notification letters will be used to allow opt-outs where AI is used on a particular assignment.

Board members asked about data privacy, agents, and classroom monitoring. Sandberg said approved education versions and the district’s vendor-review process limit data mining and that new AI features sometimes lag behind district filtering tools, creating short windows where blocking is difficult. On the question of teacher-created AI agents, Bergen said any district tools would need to pass the district’s digital tool review process and that staff could not simply deploy autonomous agents without review.

What happens next: The district will deliver classroom posters and continue rollout of the DISC micro-credentials and AI pedagogies guidance; the board heard the information item but did not vote on new policy at the meeting.