Hamblen County schools present AI task force plan, recommend Magic School AI for students
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Summary
At the Feb. 10 Hamblen County Board of Education meeting, the district's AI task force outlined a plan emphasizing safety, accessibility and teacher support, recommending Magic School AI for student use and Google Gemini for teacher-only applications; the board was told an AI handbook and summer professional development are next steps.
Donna, a district coaching staff member, told the Hamblen County Board of Education on Feb. 10 that the district's AI task force has prioritized efficiency, safety and accessibility as it develops guidance for classroom use.
The task force, Donna said, brings together district leadership, specialized support and classroom teachers to decide what the district can control about AI, what it can influence and what it cannot stop. "What we can control is our AI policy, when it is allowed to be used, when it's not allowed to be used, and how much we use it," she said.
Donna said the task force recommends adopting Magic School AI as the primary, vetted platform for teacher-assigned student work because it restricts student access and flags inappropriate content. The presentation also recommended Google Gemini for teacher-only use within the district's Google Education Plus package. Donna said Superintendent doctor Green purchased Magic School AI for use through the end of the school year.
The presenter detailed supporting work the task force has done: a Gemini prompt library teachers can copy and reuse; video tutorials for each tool; collaboration with the multilingual/multiliteracy (MLL) team to increase accessibility; and a train-the-trainer professional development model so school representatives bring training back to their buildings. Donna said the team is preparing an AI handbook for parents, students and staff and plans summer PD sessions (one-and-a-half days in May and July) on both Magic School AI and Google products.
Donna said the task force looked to district-level models used elsewhere and noted examples from Chicago and Denver; she also said the district will work on custom AI tools over an upcoming break to meet local needs. "Safety is always first," she said, and added that training and policy are meant to preserve academic integrity while preparing students for future workplaces.
The presentation concluded with an offer to answer follow-up questions; the board did not take a formal vote on the AI recommendations at the meeting. The district stated the next procedural step is to bring a revised AI usage policy to the board for approval and to schedule the announced summer professional development sessions.