AI’s ability to generate content has the potential to create new student learning opportunities, assist educators in customizing lessons tailored to each student and provide greater access to students with disabilities. However, this generative capacity also has the risk of potential abuse, plagiarism, trademark infringement and biases. For boards, employee and student technology use agreements are important tools to ensure that local educational agencies are taking advantage of the benefits of technology, including AI, while also protecting students and staff.

Such use agreements define what is meant by the broad term “technology” and should include everything from laptops and communication devices to software, software as a service (such as AI), and even WiFi.

Use agreements also allow LEAs to detail the responsibilities of staff and students to ensure technology is used safely, securely and in accordance with local goals. In particular, these agreements should detail prohibitions against accessing, posting or engaging with harmful material, inform all parties of their responsibilities regarding data protection and cybersecurity, and notify students and staff that they should have no expectation of privacy and confidentiality when using LEA technology. Finally, these agreements provide students and staff with possible consequences for the misuse of technology.

The introduction of AI apps such as ChatGPT have led to a dramatic increase in their use. However, with features such as smart searches, search algorithms, autofill and even spell check, AI has long been braided into programs such as Google Chrome, Microsoft Word, internet search engines and many educational software programs.

The challenge of distinguishing between programs and applications that use AI and those that do not will only become increasingly difficult in the years to come, as AI capabilities continue to grow and are further embedded into everyday school apps.

For these reasons, many boards have chosen to expand previous policies and use agreements to include AI. This allows LEAs to apply well-established and pre-existing rules and responsibilities regarding technology features — such as data privacy, cybersecurity and harmful matter — to AI.

AI creates new challenges and responsibilities related to academic honesty, copyright infringement, potential biases, inaccurate information and data protection; and boards, educators, families and students share a responsibility in properly handling these challenges and responsibilities, each with their respective roles. Developing and adopting policies and a technology use agreement are important first steps in ensuring that LEAs are using technology to advance goals and student learning, while also protecting staff and students from potential dangers.

Ensuring adherence and effective implementation of these policies requires that staff are provided ongoing professional development about AI, keeping them up to date on its immense potential, as well as the potential for abuse. Many LEAs have also found success in supporting staff and students by developing technology or AI guidelines and handbooks which offer practical guidance, including examples of acceptable and unacceptable uses of technology. Additionally, such guidelines and handbooks can provide stakeholders with user friendly language, frequently asked questions and answers, and guides for classroom use that ensure greater adherence to technology use agreements.

Similarly, to prepare students to thrive in a digital world, it is important they receive ongoing instruction on digital citizenship to understand how to engage in the digital world in a manner that is lawful, authorized, empowering and safe.

Aside from CSBA’s AI Taskforce resources, the California Department of Education has developed an AI resource kit. ChatGPT, one of the largest generative AI platforms, introduced a Teaching with AI resource guide that can be a helpful starting point for educators and North Carolina introduced its Generative AI Implementation Recommendations and Considerations for K-13 Public Schools. This guide offers checklists and best practices that can aid in discussions about the role of AI in schools and outlines implementation steps.

The importance of having high-quality and up-to-date use of technology policies and agreements has become especially important with the rapid growth of generative AI. For this reason, as part of the September Policy Update Packet, the following district policies have been updated and the following COE policies have been created. In both instances, there are accompanying exhibits that can serve as sample Use of Technology Agreements:

• District Board Policy/Exhibit (1) 4040 – Employee Use of Technology and Board Policy/Exhibit (1) 6163.4 – Student Use of Technology
• COE Board Policy/Exhibit (1) 4040 – Acceptable Use of Technology and Board Policy/Exhibit (1) 6163.4 – Student Use of Technology

CSBA has also created three new policies unique to COEs that incorporate AI concepts (a district counterpart already exists for each one):

• COE Board Policy 5131.9 – Academic Honesty
• COE Board Policy 6154 – Homework/Makeup Work
• COE Board Policy 6162.5 – Student Assessment