7540.08 - USE OF GENERATIVE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) TECHNOLOGY BY STUDENTS AND STAFF

Introduction

This document establishes expectations within the School District of Jefferson regarding the use of Generative AI (GenAI) technology and accompanies po7540.08. 

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) evolves and becomes more commonly used, it is essential for staff and students to thoughtfully and carefully consider how and when it can be used ethically, safely, and productively. Ethics, academic honesty, privacy, and confidentiality are four primary areas of concern.

The School District of Jefferson embraces the use of AI tools that can be leveraged to enhance, personalize, and transform learning. The school district supports learning about and using GenAI responsibly, in conjunction with the Terms of Service of any AI tool/resource, and by the SDoJ AI Ethics Guidelines.

AI Ethics Guidelines 

Ownership and Academic Honesty

All members of the School District of Jefferson are expected to be transparent about the role AI plays in teaching and learning. If students or staff use AI generatively (e.g. they use GenAI to create something), it should be cited. Work “created” by AI should not be claimed as original.

1. “Created” is defined as AI being the original developer of the ideas. This is even true if someone uses the AI to generate content and then edits the content.
2. However, this differs from using AI to “edit” one’s ideas in the form of spell check, Grammarly, translation, etc. In addition, citations are not expected when using an AI tool like ChatGPT for clerical tasks. Using AI for brainstorming ideas or checking grammar is similar to consulting a co-worker or using a word processor, neither of which would typically require citation or acknowledgment. 

Students and staff must use AI tools responsibly, avoiding any form of plagiarism or cheating. District policy 5505 regarding Academic Honesty states:

“Each student is judged solely on their own merits, the Board prohibits any student from presenting someone else’s work as their own, using artificial intelligence platforms in place of one’s own work, providing unauthorized assistance to another student, and cheating in all its forms. ” (po5505 provides specific examples of academic dishonesty.) 

The use of AI for academic work must comply with the spirit and intention of policy 5505 as well as teacher expectations and instructions. The fast-changing nature of AI, the wide variety of AI-based tools, and different perceptions of appropriate use make it difficult to establish policies about specific tools that will remain relevant for an entire school year. Therefore, staff and students must communicate frequently with students about the appropriateness of using AI tools to enhance learning and complete academic tasks.

Academic Honesty Guidelines

1. Teachers must clearly communicate to students and families when AI is acceptable and when it is not. For example, using spell-check (a rudimentary form of AI) on a high school English essay may be acceptable, whereas using spell-check on a spelling test would be considered cheating.
2. Teachers may determine what technologies, including AI, are appropriate and permissible for students to use as part of instruction and for completing specific assignments or portions of assignments. For example,
    
   1. a computer science teacher may require students to write a program from scratch but allow the use of AI to check the program and provide feedback and instructions on how to fix errors.
   2. a multi-language teacher may use AI to assist a student in translating an article, assignment, or teacher-created material.
   3. an English teacher may use AI to assist in leveling an article to differentiate for a student's reading levels.
3. When students are allowed to use generative AI tools to complete an assignment, students should acknowledge and describe how it was used. For 2023-2024, the student handbook language at the middle and high schools contains the following provisions.  “Use of generative AI tools by students on graded assignments is prohibited, except with the express permission of the teacher, in which case the use of AI must be cited by the student. Unauthorized use of AI on graded assignments by the student will be treated as an academic honesty violation.”
    
   1. The acceptable use of AI in a specific course should be addressed in syllabi.
   2. Where use of AI is allowed for specific assignments it is important to clearly state where it is acceptable and where it is not so that there is clarity for everyone, teachers, families, and students alike.
   3. Use must conform to the terms of use for the AI tool.
   4. Plagiarism detection software should not be used except for Google Originality Report.  If you have concerns about plagiarism, please contact the administration.
   5. For more information on formal citations, please see the following articles.
      
      Citing in APA Format
      
      Citing in MLA format

4. If students are unclear about expectations, they should ask the teacher for clarification.

Privacy

Students, teachers, and staff members must ensure that any AI systems they use are age-appropriate and that they do not violate the privacy of other individuals. In general, students under age 13 may not create accounts for technology services. Staff must follow all applicable policies, including FERPA regulations.

Privacy Guidelines

1. Personally Identifying Information (PII) of students and staff may not be uploaded to a third-party service unless the district has entered into a confidentiality agreement with the service. For example, staff may not upload a student’s full name into a chatGPT, AI tool, or other technology provider.
2. Staff and students should use their SDoJ accounts to sign up for technology tools or services used for school purposes. If a tool or service is unavailable with an SDoJ account, it may indicate that it should not be used for school purposes. For example, Google Bard is an AI service that is not available to SDoJ accounts because: 1) it is not available for users under age eighteen (18), and 2) it is not included in the Google Workspace data privacy agreement, which covers staff use of Google tools.

Confidentiality

All staff, student, and family personally identifiable information may not be transmitted unless appropriate measures are taken to protect confidentiality. In the case of AI, staff and students must be careful not to submit proprietary information, educational records (including student names), intellectual property (including student work), or other confidential information to a chatbot or other AI tool not already under contract with the district.

Referenced Board Policies and Administrative Guidelines: 8305, 8350, and 8330

Exception to the confidentiality rule

The district will review the privacy terms and conditions of each AI tools. All approved tools for use directly with personally identifiable information and intellectual property will be identified on the SDoJ Technology Resource page.

Confidentiality Guidelines

1. Before submitting information to an AI tool, ask, “Would it be appropriate to post this to a public web page?” If not, it is not appropriate to submit to an AI.
2. Staff may not submit student work to an AI (or any software provider) unless the district has approved their privacy policies. (See link above for approved resources.)

Failure to follow the policies and guidelines may result in disciplinary action.