CLEWISTON -- The Hendry County School Board is considering adopting new policy on the use of AI by both teachers and students in schools.

At their Dec. 16 meeting, the Hendry County School Board approved putting out text of the new potential policy for advertisement. The policy establishes guidelines for the ethical, legal, and responsible use of Al tools by all staff and students. The district’s stated goal is to integrate Al education while continuing to emphasize critical thinking, creativity, and human judgment.

According to the policy, some allowable uses of AI by school staff include instructional support, such as lesson planning and personalized learning, administrative tasks, and accessibility tasks like speech-to-text and translation tools. AI can also be used for research assistance, provided that its use is properly cited in professional documents.

However, AI use would be strictly prohibited in "high-impact" decision-making areas. Staff would not be allowed to use AI as the sole basis for grades, graduation status, or disciplinary actions, nor would it be used for hiring or firing decisions. Employees are forbidden from inputting personally identifiable information or sensitive district data into AI platforms and must not submit AI-generated writing as their own for professional certifications or evaluations.

 The Hendry County School District would require a "human-in-the-loop" approach, ensuring that technology remains a supplement to professional judgment rather than a replacement for it.

Students would be required to obtain prior permission from a teacher or administrator before using AI and must use it ethically. Students would be required to provide proper attribution and citations for any AI-generated text, images, or multimedia used in their assignments.

Students would be able to use AI to supplement their learning in specific ways. This includes research assistance, data analysis, and language translation support. In terms of writing, students may use AI for grammar, spelling, and structural suggestions, but they are expressly forbidden from using it to generate original content or full responses. The policy also encourages the use of AI for accessibility, such as text-to-speech tools for students with disabilities.

Students would still be held solely responsible for the factual accuracy of their work and must critically fact-check AI outputs using primary sources. Like the rules for district staff, the policy also prohibits students from uploading personally identifiable information, such as student IDs, health records, or login info, into any AI platform not approved by the district.