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Board advances second reading of AI policy after debate over teacher responsibility
Summary
Berlin Central School District trustees advanced a second reading of AI policy No. 8636 after members and the superintendent debated whether the policy places too much responsibility on individual teachers and how the district should provide oversight and teacher input.
The Berlin Central School District board advanced a second reading Wednesday of AI policy No. 8636 after a lengthy discussion about how the policy would assign responsibility for classroom uses of generative artificial intelligence.
Board members pressed whether the policy, as written, would put the “onus on the teachers” to set classroom expectations for student use of GenAI. “Am I correct in interpreting this policy to read that we are putting the onus on the teachers to determine what sort of use of Gen AI would be allowed in their classrooms?” one committee member asked during the meeting.
Superintendent (speaker 6) responded that the district intends to provide administrative oversight, implementation guidance and professional development so teachers are not left without support. The superintendent said leadership would work with teachers and the policy committee to develop protocols, app-approval processes and training before broader rollout.
Board members recommended adding explicit language to the policy or appendixes to clarify the review cycle and cited student and teacher feedback already submitted. Several trustees suggested scheduling regular reviews—potentially every six months or annually—to keep policy aligned with rapidly changing technology, and to include links or brief summaries of referenced education laws for clarity.
The board moved the policy through a second-reading motion and members agreed to return with clarifying answers and any proposed edits before final approval in December. The motion for the second reading was made by Frank and seconded by Rebecca; members indicated support in roll call during the meeting.
The board also discussed limited interim rollout steps so teachers could begin piloting approved uses while the committee collects further teacher and student input. No final policy amendments were adopted at the meeting; the board directed staff to gather feedback and present recommended language and implementation guidance at the next meeting.
Next steps: the board expects to receive compiled teacher and student feedback and proposed clarifying language prior to the December meeting, when trustees may vote on final adoption.
