Hampton City Schools outlines phased AI guidance and Skillstruck pilot; draft policy to go to policy committee Aug. 5

Hampton City Schools presented its approach to integrating artificial intelligence in classrooms at the July 15 school-board meeting, emphasizing a measured rollout that prioritizes privacy, ethics and teacher support.

Interim Chief Academic Officer Doctor Jennifer Thomason said the division began work in 2023–24 by launching an AI committee and piloting small groups; during 2024–25 it expanded staff access and integrated AI‑use lessons into library instruction for grades 6–12. "Our goal is not simply to introduce AI tools, but to ensure students understand how to use them ethically, safely, and effectively," Thomason told the board.

Coordinator Beth Weigant described Skillstruck as the division’s primary instructional AI platform during pilot phases and expansion. She said Skillstruck provides a teacher‑controlled environment with content filtering, reading-level supports, privacy protections and a "chat for schools" feature that lets teachers create monitored, customized AI tutors. Weigant told the board that more than 580 teachers have actively used Skillstruck during the rollout and that the division plans summer professional development, self‑paced learning modules for teachers in 2026–27, and a centralized website with guidance for families and educators.

Thomason said Hampton’s approach aligns with the Commonwealth’s executive order on AI and education and that the division currently supports only contractually vetted platforms that meet student-privacy requirements (she named Skillstruck and the division’s Google Gemini instance). She said not all public AI tools are suitable for education environments because many collect and store user-input data for model training, so the division will emphasize guidance on what students and staff should not enter into AI systems.

What happens next: Thomason said the draft AI policy is in the board booklet and will be considered by the policy committee before returning to the full board on Aug. 5. Staff also proposed ongoing professional development and family resources to accompany implementation.

Context and questions: Board members praised the "start small, move slowly" approach and asked about opportunities to observe summer Skillstruck sessions; a board member indicated interest in attending summer training. Student representative Sage Holden also thanked the division for advancing AI literacy for students.

No formal board action on the AI draft policy was taken on July 15; the item was referred to the policy committee for review.