AI Policy
Your School Needs an AI Policy. Here's How to Write One.
Students and teachers are already using AI, with or without a policy. A clear school AI policy sets expectations, protects students, and gives teachers the confidence to use AI well.
No policy is still a policy. It just means every classroom is making it up. Write the school’s position once, then give teachers a shared language for assignments.
- Student use
- Academic integrity
- Privacy
- Safety
Advisor
We need a policy people will actually follow.
Otto
Name approved tools, assignment levels, disclosure, privacy, and a review date. Then put it into practice.
What should a school AI policy include? A school AI policy should say which tools are approved, who can use them, what may be entered, when AI is allowed on assignments, how students disclose use, how teachers set rules, how families are told, how work is monitored, what happens when something goes wrong, and when the policy is reviewed.
- Write the policy; do not leave it to each classroom
- Thirteen questions to answer
- Three assignment levels: no AI, assisted, encouraged
- Review at least once a year
- A policy needs a way to see whether it is followed
What should a school AI policy include?
A school AI policy should say which tools are approved, who can use them, what may be entered, when AI is allowed on assignments, how students disclose use, how teachers set rules, how families are told, how work is monitored, what happens when something goes wrong, and when the policy is reviewed.
Why now
Why Schools Need an AI Policy Now
No policy is still a policy. It just means every classroom is making it up.
01
Students are already using AIAt home and at school.A written policy does not start AI use. It names the use that is already happening.
02
Teachers are making different callsClassroom by classroom.Without a shared line, one room bans AI, the next room allows it, and students guess which rule applies.
03
Parents are asking questionsThey want a clear answer.Families need to know which tools students can open, what is collected, and how the school handles mistakes.
04
Student data may already be leaving the schoolInto tools nobody approved.A policy names what may never be entered into AI — and which tools are allowed to see student work.
05
States and districts are issuing guidanceCheck yours before you publish.Many states and districts have published or are publishing AI guidance. Verify current guidance from your state and district. We do not list those rules here because they change.
Three layers
AI Policy vs. Acceptable Use Policy vs. AI Guidelines
Most schools need all three, or one policy that covers all three layers.
Policy
AI policy
The school’s official position and rules on AI.
Why the school is using AI, who it applies to, and the principles that do not change every semester.
AUP
Acceptable use policy
What students and staff may and may not do.
The enforceable list: approved tools, banned uses, disclosure, and what happens when someone crosses the line.
Guidelines
AI guidelines
Practical, classroom-level guidance that changes more often.
Assignment levels, example prompts, and how a teacher talks about AI this term — easier to update than the board policy.
The checklist
What Should a School AI Policy Include?
Each card is the question that section of the policy should answer. Adapt the list to grade levels, law, and community expectations.
Approved AI tools
Which tools are allowed, and who approves new ones?
Age requirements
Which students can use which tools?
Student data and privacy
What information can and can't be entered into AI?
Acceptable use
What is AI allowed to help with?
Academic integrity
When is AI use cheating, and when is it learning?
AI disclosure
How do students show when and how they used AI?
Teacher responsibilities
How do teachers set and communicate AI rules?
Student responsibilities
What are students accountable for?
Parent communication
How are families informed and involved?
AI-generated content
Who owns it, and how is it cited?
Monitoring and safety
How is student AI use overseen?
Incident response
What happens when something goes wrong?
Review and updates
How often is the policy revisited?
Assignment levels
Define Levels of AI Use for Assignments
This gives teachers a shared language and ends “was I allowed to use AI?” confusion.
No AI
Work must be done without AIThe assignment measures the student’s own work.Use this when the point is independent thinking, a closed quiz, or a skill students have to show unaided.
AI-Assisted
AI can be used for specific stepsBrainstorming or feedback, and it must be disclosed.Name the allowed steps. Students still write, solve, or build the work they turn in.
AI-Encouraged
AI is part of the assignmentStudents are expected to use it on purpose.The task includes prompting, judging output, and showing what they changed. Literacy is the point.
How AI Policy Differs by Grade Level
Elementary
Teacher-led use only, closed and age-appropriate tools, and a focus on safety and understanding.
An adult stays with the tool. Students learn what AI is before they use it on their own.
Middle School
Supervised independent use, introduction of disclosure and fact-checking, and clear integrity rules.
Students can run more of the work. They still need a teacher who can see the thread.
High School
Broader independent use, citation expectations, and preparation for college and workplace AI norms.
Students can ship, cite, and argue the ethics of what they used — with adults still able to review.
How to Write Your School's AI Policy
Eight steps. You do not need a 40-page document on day one.
- 01
Form a small team
Admin, teachers, IT, and a parent or student voice.
- 02
Take stock of how AI is already being used
Students and teachers will tell you more than a survey of tools.
- 03
Decide your school's goals for AI
Support learning, protect students, and keep work honest — write that down.
- 04
Draft the policy using the checklist above
Answer the thirteen questions; leave what you cannot decide yet for the review date.
- 05
Get feedback from teachers, families, and students
A policy nobody can follow will not be followed.
- 06
Train staff before rollout
Teachers need the assignment levels and a way to talk to families.
- 07
Communicate it clearly to families
A short version they can actually read.
- 08
Review it at least once a year
Assign an owner and a date.
Common AI Policy Mistakes
Avoid these. They are how a policy becomes a document nobody uses.
- 01
Banning AI outright
Students use it anyway, just without guidance.
- 02
Being too vague to act on
If a teacher cannot apply it to tomorrow’s assignment, it is not done.
- 03
Naming specific tools instead of criteria
The product list will change. The criteria should last.
- 04
Writing it once and never updating it
AI, state guidance, and school practice will move.
- 05
Leaving teachers out of the process
They are the ones who have to say it in class.
- 06
Having rules with no way to see whether they're followed
A policy you cannot observe is a hope, not a practice.
Next step
Free AI Policy Template for Schools
A starting point you can adapt — not legal advice. Review it against your state and district requirements before you adopt it.
A Policy Only Works If You Can Put It Into Practice
Most policies fail because the school cannot actually see or manage AI use. Students need approved, age-appropriate AI. Teachers need controls. Leaders need student identity, safety monitoring, Real-Time Alerts, academic integrity support, and visibility for the school and families. Passport keeps one student identity and one alerts pipeline across connected tools. UNESCO’s student and teacher AI competency publications are a useful public reference — cited here, not copied. HeyOtto is the student AI environment for putting the policy into practice.
FAQ
Questions about school AI policy
Next step
A policy only works if you can put it into practice
See how HeyOtto supports approved student AI, teacher controls, Real-Time Alerts, integrity, and school visibility.