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Annalise presents East Lyme’s AI strategy; district adopts Magic School AI for K–8 and plans Gemini for high school
Summary
At the Feb. 23 East Lyme Board of Education meeting, district staff outlined an AI strategy prioritizing human oversight, selected Magic School AI for K–8 and Gemini for future high-school use, and demonstrated GoogleLM Notebook as a classroom tool while flagging data-privacy and academic-integrity safeguards.
Annalise, a member of the districtwide technology committee, presented the East Lyme School District's draft AI strategy at the board's Feb. 23 meeting and described a phased approach that keeps teachers and students in control of generative tools.
She told the board the committee selected Magic School AI as the district's official student-facing platform for grades K–8 and plans to introduce Gemini for grades 9–12 after additional preparation and guidance for older students. "These platforms are actually the two acceptable platforms for teachers as well," Annalise said, adding that Magic School AI is a walled garden that lets staff monitor student activity.
Annalise said the district sees AI as a "copilot" that can brainstorm, outline and assist with mechanics but must not replace core student work. The committee has drafted nonnegotiables tied to academic integrity, including a prohibition on AI producing primary components of essays or problem-solving work without human input. She also emphasized limits on inputting individualized student data into AI tools for IEPs or other sensitive documentation.
As part of the presentation, Annalise demonstrated GoogleLM Notebook, a tool she showed can house source documents, run focused chats limited to uploaded content and produce teacher-facing materials such as slide decks or quizzes. She asked the board to consider a hands-on rollout and said materials would be available on internal and public hubs and through a planned spring "family university" to brief families on expectations and safety practices.
Board members pressed on data protection, misuse and student behavior. Vivek asked whether materials uploaded to LM Notebook or Gemini could be used to train external models; Annalise said the Google-based notebook is contained within the district's Google environment and described it as "aligned with our Google tools for education" and not shared outside the system. Steve urged the district to acknowledge why misuse occurs among teenagers and to include realistic behavioral strategies in any literacy curriculum. Annalise said the committee is looking at frameworks (including AIEDU) under three domains: basic understanding, critical thinking, and leading with human advantage.
Board members requested greater student involvement and suggested a student-panel demonstration or survey to capture usage and attitudes before rolling more tools out to high school students. Annalise said the district will survey students and work with school leaders to plan appropriately timed pilots and board workshops.
The demonstration and discussion ended with staff agreeing to continue refining guidance for teachers and families, to host outreach for parents, and to delay Gemini access to students until expectations and supports are in place.
