NORTH PORT, Fla. – The Sarasota County School Board is grappling with how to use artificial intelligence in education as the board considers updating its AI policy.
“We need to start this conversation because it’s happening now,” school board member Tom Edwards said during a work session last Tuesday.
WATCH: School board members discuss AI in the classroom:
Sarasota County School Board considers policy change on artificial intelligence
Professor Leandro de Castro heads the Dendritic Institute at Florida Gulf Coast University, which conducts research into AI. He said the technology is already common in the classroom.
“The truth is that AI is here to stay, everyone is using it,” De Castro said. “At all levels, right? The students, staff and teachers – or teachers – use AI in their daily lives.”
Education website Chegg said it surveyed more than 11,000 students as part of its Global Student Survey. According to the survey, 80% of students say they use AI at school.
The Sarasota County School Board created the district’s first AI policy last year. The policy prohibits students from using AI to “avoid their own work.”
“AI platforms may only be used as a supplement if given permission by a teacher,” the policy states.
“If AI is used, the student must acknowledge and cite the use of AI, attributing text, images, multimedia, etc. to the AI source and the criteria used to demonstrate how AI contributed to the outcome of the assignment.”
School district spokesperson Kesley Whealy said students who violate the policy could face discipline.
That includes the loss of eligibility for local scholarships and awards, prizes and membership in extracurricular activities, Whealy said.
District employees presented board members with an updated policy last Tuesday.
If approved, students can use AI for brainstorming, support, and feedback only if not expressly prohibited by a teacher.
There would be an exception for students using AI as part of a housing plan, board documents show.
Students would also be prohibited from entering personal information into AI platforms.
During the workshop, board members expressed concerns about student privacy. De Castro said many generative AI platforms rely on user information to train themselves.
The AI policy also applies to the staff. District employees must obtain permission to use AI and notify their supervisor, according to the district website.
The revised policy will specify when staff can use AI, board documents show. That includes “enhancing student learning, streamlining processes, improving efficiency, and improving resource allocation.”
Under the new policy, teachers are not allowed to grade assignments with AI. Employees could use AI detection software, but not as the sole factor to determine academic dishonesty.
Board members and Superintendent Terry Connor said AI could be a great tool for teachers.
“I hear this all the time from teachers: They’re overworked. Overloaded,” Connor said. “And I see great opportunity with artificial intelligence to provide efficiency with things that take time.”
That includes administrative work such as scheduling lessons and responding to emails. According to Chris Parenteau, the district’s supervisor of government affairs, staff were already using Microsoft Copilot as part of a testing program.
Copilot is an AI assistant that can help create emails and reports.
School board member Bridget Ziegler said the school district needs to embrace AI. But there should be more restrictions for younger students, Ziegler said.
“I want to unleash the administration and our team to really explore those ideas,” Ziegler said.
“At the same time, I believe in classical education. I think that, at least at an elementary level, these foundational skills are so essential to their ability to be successful,” Ziegler said.
De Castro said policies should differ at the provincial, school and even classroom levels. Teachers should help determine how to use AI in their courses, De Castro said.
The Dendritic Institute investigates how AI can be integrated into education. De Castro is conducting a one-year study with ten FGCU faculty using AI in their classrooms for at least a semester.
Students can become too dependent on AI, says De Castro. Instead, schools should teach students how to use the software as a tool.
“You are not being replaced by AI, you are being replaced by someone who knows how to use AI,” De Castro said.
The school board has not yet made a final decision on the policy changes.
Tuesday’s discussion was an annual review of the district’s AI policies. Edwards said discussion should happen more often.
“I think there are more policies that will get behind this,” Edwards said.
“We can see, because it’s everywhere we turn, that if we don’t always have a conversation about AI and refining these criteria, we’re not going to be competitive.”
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