Richland School District committee gathers teacher, parent and student input on AI use; asks staff to draft policy

Richland School District trustees and a range of teachers, parents and students met April 20 to provide input to a policy committee forming rules for artificial intelligence use in district classrooms and operations. The meeting, led by Trustee Tamika Washington, focused on practical classroom uses, risks around accuracy and academic integrity, and next steps for drafting districtwide guidance.

"This committee is specifically designed to address the use of artificial intelligence in the district," Trustee Tamika Washington said, opening the discussion on how AI should — and should not — be used in schools. Participants described everyday uses of AI, including planning lessons, generating study materials, producing flyers and summarizing technical information.

"I use it to plan an itinerary for a trip," Marshawn Franklin, the district's deputy superintendent, said, as an example of routine use. Students described classroom uses as study tools, research prompts and automated feedback. Morgan Davis, a junior at Richland Northeast High School, said students have used AI to "make sure it's grammatically correct" and to test work against a rubric: "I can give that rubric to AI and... that can help me know how I need to fix, you know, revising student work."

Speakers repeatedly flagged accuracy and misuse as primary concerns. Kimberly English, a Blythewood High School math teacher, said she and students have seen inconsistent outputs and that an online detector once told her a freewriting sample was "75% AI." Parents and teachers also raised privacy concerns and pointed out unequal access if students rely on personal phones to reach AI tools.

Participants recommended several guardrails for a district policy: age‑differentiated rules (different expectations for elementary, middle and high school); required training for students and staff; subject‑specific lists of vetted tools; clear examples of acceptable and prohibited uses; and a system for double-checking AI‑generated materials before they are distributed. Multiple speakers suggested embedding digital‑citizenship lessons early in instruction so students understand when AI is a helpful tool and when it undermines learning.

Tommy Carter, the district's chief technology and innovation officer, described administrative uses and said AI had helped produce legalistic research for a funding letter. Several participants suggested exploring certification or short-course options for students and staff; the chair noted a 10‑hour Google course the committee could investigate for adaptation to secondary students.

The committee did not take policy votes at the meeting. Members asked staff to draft formal policy language and return to the committee for additional feedback. Trustee Washington and Doctor Franklin will coordinate follow‑up; Doctor Franklin is expected to issue an invitation for the next session. The meeting was adjourned with no further business.

The meeting included a procedural agenda approval motion at the start; Doctor Franklin moved to approve the agenda and Doctor Fleming seconded. The motion passed unanimously, although the transcript does not record the exact vote count.