AI Policy Template for K–12 Schools and Districts

[Name of School District]

Policy [Number]: Use of Artificial Intelligence

Adopted: [date] · Last reviewed: [date] · Legal references: see Section 18

1. Purpose

1.1 The [Board] recognizes that artificial intelligence (AI) can support teaching, learning, and operations, and that students need to understand AI to succeed in school, work, and life. The Board also recognizes that AI tools can pose risks to student safety, privacy, wellbeing, and academic integrity.

1.2 This policy establishes expectations for the responsible, ethical, and safe use of AI by students and staff for educational purposes, consistent with applicable law and any guidance issued by [state education agency].

2. Scope

2.1 This policy applies to all students, employees, contractors, and volunteers who use AI tools for school purposes, whether on district-owned or personal devices, and to all AI tools used for instruction, assessment, or school operations.

2.2 This policy supplements, and does not replace, the district's policies on technology acceptable use, student conduct, student records, bullying and harassment, and student mental health and safety.

3. Definitions

3.1 Artificial intelligence (AI). Technology that performs tasks normally requiring human judgment, such as recognizing patterns, making predictions, understanding language, or making recommendations.

3.2 Generative AI. AI that creates new content, such as text, images, audio, video, or computer code, in response to a user's input.

3.3 AI tool. Any software, application, platform, or feature that uses AI, including AI features built into products that are not primarily AI products.

3.4 AI chatbot. An AI tool that carries on a written or spoken conversation with a user.

3.5 Student-facing AI tool. An AI tool that students interact with directly, as opposed to one used only by staff.

3.6 Approved AI tool. An AI tool that has been reviewed and approved for its intended use under Section 5.

3.7 Personally identifiable information (PII). Information that alone or in combination can identify a specific student or staff member, including information protected as an education record under FERPA.

3.8 Nonconsensual intimate imagery (NCII). Real or AI-generated images, video, or audio that depict a real, identifiable person nude or in a sexual manner without that person's consent. Any such content depicting a minor is prohibited regardless of consent.

3.9 Synthetic media. AI-generated or AI-altered images, audio, or video that falsely depict a real person saying or doing something (often called deepfakes).

4. Guiding Principles

4.1 Human-centered. AI supports, and does not replace, the professional judgment of educators or the relationships between students and adults.

4.2 Accountable. Staff remain responsible for any decision informed by AI output.

4.3 Safe. Student safety and wellbeing come before convenience or novelty.

4.4 Transparent. Students, families, and staff should know when and how AI is used.

4.5 Equitable. AI use should expand access to learning, not widen gaps, and should account for bias in AI systems.

5. Approval of AI Tools

5.1 Only approved AI tools may be used with students or with student PII. The [Superintendent or designee] shall establish a process to review and approve AI tools before use.

5.2 Reviews shall use any evaluation framework or guidance issued by [state education agency], and at minimum shall consider:

• privacy, security, and transparency consistent with Section 10;
• alignment with [state academic standards];
• accessibility for all students, including students with disabilities and English learners;
• student safety for student-facing tools, consistent with Section 6; and
• age requirements in the provider's terms, including any parental consent requirements.

5.3 The district may rely on a review by the state or another trusted evaluator but remains responsible for confirming the tool is appropriate for its intended use and grade levels.

5.4 The district shall publish its list of approved AI tools, including the grade levels and purposes for which each is approved, on its website and provide it to [state education agency] if required.

5.5 The district may suspend or revoke approval of any tool that fails to meet this policy, including after a safety incident under Section 13.

6. Student Safety Standards for Student-Facing AI Tools

In addition to the criteria in Section 5, a student-facing AI tool, and especially an AI chatbot, may be approved only if the provider demonstrates that the tool:

6.1 Discloses it is not human. Clearly and repeatedly tells students it is an AI and not a person, and does not claim to be human.

6.2 Does not simulate relationships. Does not present itself as a student's friend, companion, romantic partner, or confidant, and does not encourage emotional dependence or secrecy from parents or school staff.

6.3 Provides age-appropriate content. Filters sexual, violent, and other content inappropriate for the grade levels for which it is approved.

6.4 Responds safely to crisis topics. When a student raises self-harm, suicide, abuse, or another crisis, the tool does not provide harmful information, directs the student to trusted adults and crisis resources such as the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, and supports the district's ability to notify designated staff according to its existing student safety procedures.

6.5 Avoids manipulative engagement design. Does not use streaks, rewards, endless feeds, or similar features designed to maximize time on the tool rather than learning.

6.6 No advertising or data sale. Does not show advertising to students, and does not sell student data or use it to train AI models without the district's written authorization.

6.7 Offers reporting and oversight. Provides a simple way for students and staff to report harmful or inaccurate output, and a way for the district to review how the tool performed.

6.8 Is independently tested. Provides evidence of safety testing. Independent third-party testing shall be given greater weight than a provider's own claims.

7. Student Use

7.1 Students may use AI tools for schoolwork only as permitted by this policy and by their teacher for a given assignment.

7.2 Student use shall be appropriate to grade level:

• Grades K–[5]: AI is used by teachers with students, not by students independently. Instruction focuses on what AI is and how to use it safely.
• Grades [6]–[8]: Students may use approved AI tools for specific learning tasks under teacher direction and supervision.
• Grades [9]–12: Students may use approved AI tools more independently for learning, research, and creative work, consistent with Section 9.

7.3 Students shall not enter their own or others' personal information into AI tools beyond what an approved tool requires.

7.4 Students shall not use AI to bully, harass, impersonate, or deceive others; to create or share NCII or harmful synthetic media; or to cheat, as described in Section 9.

7.5 Students are expected to check AI output for accuracy and bias and to understand that AI can be wrong.

8. Staff Use

8.1 Staff are encouraged to use approved AI tools to support lesson planning, differentiation, feedback, accessibility, and productivity.

8.2 Staff shall not enter student PII or confidential information into any AI tool that has not been approved for that purpose.

8.3 Staff shall review AI output for accuracy, bias, and appropriateness before using it with students, and remain accountable for it.

8.4 AI output shall not be the sole basis for grading, discipline, special education, placement, or employment decisions.

8.5 Staff shall be transparent with students and families about how AI is used in their classrooms.

9. Academic Integrity

9.1 Teachers shall tell students, for each assignment or course, what level of AI use is permitted. Appendix B provides a common scale.

9.2 Students shall disclose AI use as directed by the teacher. Submitting AI-generated work as one's own, where AI use was not permitted or not disclosed, is a violation of the district's academic integrity rules.

9.3 AI detection tools are unreliable and shall not be the sole evidence of a violation. Teachers should consider other evidence, such as drafts, conversation with the student, and in-class work.

9.4 Teachers are encouraged to design assessments that value process, reasoning, and original thinking.

10. Student and Staff Data Privacy and Security

10.1 Use of AI tools shall comply with FERPA, COPPA, the Children's Internet Protection Act, the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment, and applicable [state] student privacy laws.

10.2 Before an AI tool receives student PII, the district shall have a written data agreement with the provider that at minimum:

• limits use of data to providing the service to the district;
• prohibits selling data, using it for advertising, or using it to train AI models without written authorization;
• requires reasonable security safeguards and prompt notice of any breach;
• requires deletion or return of data when no longer needed or when the agreement ends; and
• states where data is stored and which subcontractors can access it.

10.3 The district shall collect and share only the minimum data needed for each tool's educational purpose.

10.4 Parents and eligible students retain their rights under FERPA to review records, including records created through AI tools that are education records.

11. AI Literacy

11.1 The district shall provide age-appropriate AI literacy instruction for students, aligned with [state] AI literacy standards where they exist.

11.2 Instruction shall address at least: what AI is and how it works; its limits, including errors and "hallucinations"; checking AI output against reliable sources; bias; data privacy; and safe interaction with AI chatbots, including that they are not people.

11.3 Instruction shall include, in an age-appropriate manner, education about NCII and synthetic media: that creating or sharing it causes serious harm and may be a crime, and how to report it and get help.

11.4 The district shall offer AI literacy resources to families.

12. Nonconsensual Intimate Imagery and Harmful Synthetic Media

12.1 No student or employee shall use any tool to create, possess, request, or share NCII, or to create or share synthetic media intended to harass, humiliate, threaten, or deceive.

12.2 Violations shall be addressed under the district's student code of conduct, bullying and harassment policies, and employee policies. School officials shall report to law enforcement and child protective services as required by law.

12.3 The district shall provide a clear way to report such content, act promptly to limit its spread, and offer support to affected students.

12.4 Staff shall not forward, copy, or save NCII, including as evidence. Staff shall follow the district's procedures and law enforcement direction for preserving evidence.

13. Safety Concerns and Incidents

13.1 If a staff member learns that a student has disclosed self-harm, abuse, threats, or another safety concern while using an AI tool, the staff member shall respond as with any other disclosure, following the district's existing student safety, suicide risk referral, and mandatory reporting procedures.

13.2 Staff and students shall report harmful, inappropriate, or seriously inaccurate AI output to [designated office]. The district shall review reports, notify the provider, and consider suspending the tool under Section 5.5.

13.3 The district shall notify affected families of significant incidents as appropriate.

14. Parent and Family Engagement

14.1 The district shall notify families at least annually of the student-facing AI tools approved for their child's grade level, how they are used, and how student data is protected. Appendix C provides a sample notice.

14.2 Where feasible, families may request an alternative assignment that does not require a student-facing AI tool.

14.3 The district shall seek input from families, students, and staff when reviewing this policy.

15. Professional Development

15.1 The district shall provide AI professional development for all teachers, including any training required by the state.

15.2 Staff who approve AI tools or supervise student use shall receive training on this policy, student safety standards, and data privacy.

16. Accessibility and Equity

16.1 The district shall consider accessibility and equitable access when approving and using AI tools, including for students with disabilities, English learners, and students without home internet access.

16.2 AI use shall be consistent with students' IEPs and Section 504 plans.

17. Review

17.1 The [Superintendent or designee] shall review this policy and the approved tool list at least annually and recommend updates to the Board as technology, evidence, and law change.

17.2 The [Superintendent or designee] may issue administrative procedures to implement this policy.

18. Legal References

• Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, 20 U.S.C. 1232g; 34 C.F.R. Part 99
• Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, 15 U.S.C. 6501 et seq.; 16 C.F.R. Part 312
• Children's Internet Protection Act, 47 U.S.C. 254(h)
• Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment, 20 U.S.C. 1232h
• Individuals with Disabilities Education Act; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
• [Applicable state statutes and district policies, to be confirmed by counsel]
• [State education agency AI guidance, if any]

Appendix A: AI Tool Review Checklist

Use for each tool before approval. A "No" on any item marked * should prevent approval for student use.

Tool name: ________________________________ Reviewed by: ____________________ Date: ____________

Appendix B: Classroom AI Use Levels

Teachers state a level for each assignment so expectations are clear.

Appendix C: Sample Family Notice

Dear families,

This year, students in [grade levels] may use the following approved AI tools for learning: [list]. Each tool has been reviewed for student privacy, safety, accessibility, and alignment with what your child is learning. The providers may not sell your child's data, show advertising, or use your child's information to train AI.

Teachers will explain when AI may be used on assignments. Our full AI policy, the list of approved tools, and ways to talk with your child about AI are available at [link]. If you have questions or would like to request an alternative assignment, please contact [name, email].

Adapted from the Model AI Policy template by HeyOtto for Schools (schools.heyotto.app).