Palmdale board adopts three-year AI plan and new AI policy, stressing human oversight

The Palmdale School District board on Feb. 18 approved a three-year strategic plan for artificial intelligence and adopted a new district AI policy that foregrounds human oversight, data security and phased staff training.

EdTech lead Mr. Harris presented the plan as a phased strategy: Year 1 builds foundational capacity and secure tool use; Year 2 expands integration into instruction and operations; Year 3 deepens implementation and continuous evaluation. Harris told trustees the plan aims to "prepare all of our stakeholders for what the rest of the 21st century might look like," and described a "human-in-the-loop" approach that keeps staff responsible for final decisions.

The nut of the plan is professional development and policy guardrails. Harris said the district will focus initial training on secure, license-included tools (he cited the Google suite and Gemini examples in the presentation) and establish prohibited-use rules for personally identifiable information. He said the district has drafted five related board policies and that the board would consider them during the meeting.

Trustees voted to adopt the new board policy on artificial intelligence (policy 0441) and to revise technology-use policies for employees and students; recorded votes for those motions were 4-0. The board packet and Harris's slide deck were made available to trustees, and Harris said he would provide the slides to board members on request.

Why it matters: The policy and plan set districtwide expectations for how staff and students may use AI tools, and allocate ongoing professional learning and advisory-team oversight. Harris emphasized risk mitigation and equity, saying training is intended to prevent a divide between staff who have access and those who do not.

What the plan includes: a phased training sequence (understanding AI, prompt engineering, AI as assistant, lesson planning with district-approved curriculum), academic integrity provisions that grant teachers discretion over permitted uses on assignments, and explicit prohibitions around inputting PII. Harris also noted the district will prioritize tools that align with its licensing and security requirements.

Next steps: The district will continue updating related board policies and stand up an AI advisory team composed of stakeholders who have completed foundational training. Harris said the plan will be revisited and likely revised at the end of the three-year period.

Quotes and attributions: "Generative AI promises to level that field," Mr. Harris said, adding that a focus on human agency and oversight is central to the district's approach.

Ending: The board adopted the new AI policy and related technology revisions in the same meeting; implementation steps, including staff training schedules and advisory-team formation, were described as immediate next steps.