School board approves Magic School AI data-privacy agreement; any future costs must return to board

The Citrus County School Board voted 5-0 on Feb. 14 to approve a student data-privacy agreement with Magic School AI, allowing teachers and staff to pilot the vendor’s classroom tools under district data safeguards. Board members required that any future costs or paid subscriptions be returned to the board for approval.

District instructional staff described Magic School as an education-focused AI platform that helps teachers generate differentiated activities, provide writing feedback and tailor instruction to standards. "Magic School is a platform that is, caters to the education world, and it provides some tools for teachers," a staff presenter said, adding the agreement is a standard three-year data-privacy contract and "is not a purchase at this time."

Several trustees raised concerns about signing a three-year agreement without knowing possible downstream costs. Staff repeatedly clarified that the agreement alone does not obligate district funds and that teachers can create limited free accounts; "If Magic School ... decided they started charging for those services, that would have to come back to us at that point," a district staff member stated during debate.

The board added the explicit condition to the motion that any pricing or paid subscription proposals from Magic School would return for board consideration before funds are committed. The motion passed unanimously.

What’s next: With the agreement in place, the district will add Magic School to its vetting list for approved instructional tools if the vendor adheres to the district’s data protections; any school or district purchase of a paid license would require future board approval.