Waunakee committee outlines limited, supervised use of AI for lesson planning and student work
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Summary
District staff told the curriculum subcommittee that AI is being used primarily for text leveling, translation, rubrics and to create substitute‑friendly lesson plans; the district recommends approved tools (Brisk, Gemini, Diffet) only after privacy review and blocks general‑purpose chatbots on school devices.
Waunakee Community School District curriculum leaders updated the subcommittee Feb. 16 on how artificial intelligence is being used to support lesson planning and instruction, emphasizing privacy safeguards and teacher oversight.
Tim Shell and Amy Johnson said AI is most commonly used to level texts, translate materials, generate teacher rubrics and adapt lessons for substitute teachers on short notice. They described scenarios where a teacher uploads lesson artifacts and asks a tool to convert them into a simpler, sub‑friendly plan that requires less instructor facilitation.
The presenters told the committee the district requires staff to check terms of use and privacy policies for any tool that interacts with student data; they said Technology Director Rick Franz reviews such terms to ensure personally identifiable information is protected. Shell said the district maintains subscriptions for Brisk (teacher‑facing AI support) and recommends Google’s Gemini under the district’s Google Workspace agreement; specialized tools like Diffet (text leveling) and Adobe Studio are used for particular needs.
On student access, presenters said the district blocks general‑purpose AI chatbots on the school network. Students may use limited AI tools during instruction when the teacher assigns a structured task — for example, Brisk Boost tasks or Notebook LM that work only with teacher-provided materials — but unrestricted access to general‑purpose chatbots on district devices during the instructional day is not allowed.
Board members asked about staff training and whether licenses are consolidated; presenters said training and refresher sessions have been provided, Technology reviews terms of use, and tool adoption seeks to avoid purchasing many single‑purpose licenses. Presenters emphasized professional judgment: teachers must vet non‑adopted materials and be accountable for instructional quality.
No formal policy change was adopted at the subcommittee meeting; presenters invited further input from members on implementation and communications with families.