District Policies for AI

The Board of Trustees recognizes the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to increase student access to information, support teacher effectiveness, and facilitate the administration of student assessments, as well as the potential for AI to undermine student achievement, health, and well-being. Therefore, the Board is committed to supporting the use of AI by students and staff in accordance with the following principles:

1. Student-Centered: AI should be used to personalize and enhance the learning experience for each student and to support digital citizenship and literacy

2. Staff-Centered: AI should be used as a tool to augment and support, rather than replace, staff in the performance of their duties and responsibilities

3. Ethical Use and Transparency: AI should be used ethically and transparently by all staff and students, with careful consideration of potential biases, and in compliance with all applicable intellectual property and copyright laws

4. Accountability and Responsibility: AI should be used in a manner that ensures accountability by those who use it and that those who use it are responsible for such use, including when and how it is used

5. Equity and Access: AI should be implemented in a manner that ensures equitable access and opportunity for all students, regardless of background or ability, and for all schools across the district

6. Secure and Private: The district should prioritize security and privacy when changing existing practices or adopting new practices regarding AI

7. Professional Development: The district should provide ongoing professional development for staff in all aspects of AI, with a particular focus on the ethical and responsible use of AI

8. Community Engagement: The district should engage with the community to share these principles, to educate the community on AI, and to discuss the permitted and prohibited uses of AI in the district

9. Continuous Improvement: The district should regularly evaluate the use of AI by students and staff, and adapt its policies, procedures, and professional development to align with best practices and evolving technologies

The Superintendent shall ensure that the use of AI in the district is consistent with this policy, Board Policy 0440 - District Technology Plan, Board Policy/Exhibit (1) 4040 - Employee Use of Technology, Board Policy 5131.9 - Academic Honesty, Board Policy 6154 - Homework/Makeup Work, Board Policy 6162.5 - Student Assessment, and Board Policy/Exhibit (1) 6163.4 - Student Use of Technology.

Artificial intelligence means an engineered or machine-based system that varies in its level of autonomy and that can, for explicit or implicit objectives, infer, from the input it receives, how to generate outputs that can influence physical or virtual environments. (Education Code 33328.5)

The Board of Trustees recognizes that technological resources enhance employee performance by offering effective tools to assist in providing a quality instructional program; facilitating communications with parents/guardians, students, and the community; supporting district and school operations; improving access to and exchange of information; enriching curriculum; and enhancing student learning.

District technology includes, but is not limited to, computer hardware, software, or software as a service provided or paid for by the district, whether accessed on or off site or through district-owned or personally owned equipment or devices, including tablets and laptops; computer servers, wireless access points (routers), and wireless computer networking technology (wi-fi); the Internet; email; applications (apps), including artificial intelligence (AI) apps; telephones, cellular or mobile telephones, smartphones, smart devices, and wearable technology; or any wireless communication device, including radios.

Employees shall review the prohibited and permitted uses of technology as specified in Board Policy 5131.9 - Academic Honesty, be responsible for the appropriate use of technology, and use district technology primarily for purposes related to their employment consistent with board policies and administrative regulations.

An employee may use technology, including AI apps, to assist the employee in the performance of the employee's professional duties, including, but not limited to, the following specific tasks: developing syllabi, creating curriculum, reviewing student work, suggesting instructional strategies, and researching academic content or instructional techniques. Any employee using technology, including AI, shall review and be responsible for any final product or document; not share confidential student records with a third party, such as an AI app, except as permitted by law; and use the technology in accordance with Board Policy 6162.6 - Use of Copyrighted Materials, and in a manner otherwise consistent with law, board policies, and administrative regulations. If an employee is unsure about the appropriate use of technology, the employee shall confer with the Superintendent or designee before using.

As determined by the Superintendent or designee, employees shall receive professional development in the appropriate use of these resources, including in the use of AI apps.

The Superintendent or designee shall establish an Acceptable Use Agreement which outlines employee obligations and responsibilities related to the use of district technology, including the use of AI apps. Upon employment and whenever significant changes are made to the district's Acceptable Use Agreement, employees shall be required to acknowledge in writing that they have read and agreed to the Acceptable Use Agreement.

Employees shall not use district technology to access, post, submit, publish, display, or otherwise engage with harmful or inappropriate matter that is threatening, obscene, disruptive, sexually explicit, or unethical or that promotes any activity prohibited by law, board policy, or administrative regulations.

Harmful matter includes matter, taken as a whole, which to the average person, applying contemporary statewide standards, appeals to the prurient interest and is matter which depicts or describes, in a patently offensive way, sexual conduct and which lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value for minors. (Penal Code 313)

The Superintendent or designee shall ensure that all district computers with Internet access have a technology protection measure that protects against access to visual depictions that are obscene, child pornography, or harmful to minors and that the operation of such measures is enforced. The Superintendent or designee may disable the technology protection measure during use by an adult to enable access for bona fide research or other lawful purpose. (20 USC 7131; 47 USC 254)

The Superintendent or designee shall regularly review current guidance regarding cybersecurity, data privacy, and digital media awareness and incorporate recommended practices into the district's processes and procedures related to the protection of the district's network infrastructure, the monitoring and response to cyberattacks, ensuring data privacy, and managing suspicious and/or threatening digital media content, in accordance with Board Policy 3580 - District Records.

The Superintendent or designee shall annually notify employees in writing that they have no reasonable expectation of privacy in the use of any district technology, as defined above, even when using their personal devices. To ensure proper use, the Superintendent or designee may monitor employee usage of district technology at any time without advance notice or consent and for any reason allowed by law.

In addition, employees shall be notified that records, including communications, maintained on any personal accounts or devices used to conduct district business are subject to disclosure at the district's request, and pursuant to a subpoena or other lawful request.

Employees shall report any security problem or misuse of district technology to the Superintendent or designee.

Inappropriate use of district technology may result in a cancellation of the employee's user privileges, disciplinary action, and/or legal action in accordance with law, board policy, and administrative regulation.

Employees may access their mobile or other communications device if there is a need to seek emergency assistance, assess the safety of a situation, or communicate with a person to confirm the person's safety. (Labor Code 1139)

The Board of Trustees believes that effective use of technology is integral to the education and development of students. In order to promote digital citizenship, the Board recognizes that students must have access to the latest digital tools and receive instruction that allows students to positively engage with technology in ways that respect human rights and avoids Internet dangers. Technological resources provided to students, including technology based on artificial intelligence (AI), shall be aligned to district goals, objectives, and academic standards. The use of technology shall augment the use of Board adopted instructional materials.

The Board of Trustees intends that technological resources provided by the district be used in a safe and responsible manner in support of the instructional program and for the advancement of student learning. Students shall be allowed to use such technology, including AI technology, in accordance with district policies, including, but not limited to, policies on academic honesty, data privacy, nondiscrimination, and copyright protections. All students using these resources shall receive instruction in the proper and appropriate use of technology. Such instruction shall incorporate students' responsibilities regarding academic honesty, honoring copyright provisions, assessing the reliability and accuracy of information, protecting personal data, and the potential for biases and errors in artificially generated content.

District technology includes, but is not limited to, computer hardware, software, or software as a service provided or paid for by the district, whether accessed on or off site or through district-owned or personally owned equipment or devices, including tablets and laptops; computer servers, wireless access points (routers), and wireless computer networking technology (wi-fi); the Internet; email; applications (apps), including AI apps; telephones, cellular telephones, smartphones, smart devices, and wearable technology; or any wireless communication device, including radios.

Teachers, administrators, and/or library media specialists are expected to review the technological resources and online sites that will be used in the classroom or assigned to students in order to ensure that they are appropriate for the intended purpose and the age of the students.

The Superintendent or designee shall notify students and parents/guardians about authorized uses of district technology, user obligations and responsibilities, and consequences for unauthorized use and/or unlawful activities in accordance with this board policy and the district's Acceptable Use Agreement.

Before a student is authorized to use district technology, the student and the student's parent/guardian shall sign and return the Acceptable Use Agreement. In that agreement, the student and parent/guardian shall agree not to hold the district or any district staff responsible for the failure of any technology protection measures or user mistakes or negligence and shall agree to indemnify and hold harmless the district and district staff for any damages or costs incurred.

The district reserves the right to monitor student use of technology within the jurisdiction of the district without advance notice or consent. Students shall be informed that the use of district technology, as defined above, is not private and may be accessed by the district for the purpose of ensuring proper use. Students have no reasonable expectation of privacy in the use of district technology. Students' personally owned devices shall not be searched except in cases where there is a reasonable suspicion, based on specific and objective facts, that the search will uncover evidence of a violation of law, district policy, or school rules.

The Superintendent or designee may gather and maintain information pertaining directly to school safety or student safety from the social media activity of any district student in accordance with Education Code 49073.6 and Board Policy/Administrative Regulation 5125 - Student Records.

Whenever a student is found to have violated board policy or the district's Acceptable Use Agreement, the principal or designee may cancel or limit a student's user privileges or increase supervision of the student's use of the district's equipment and other technological resources, as appropriate. Inappropriate use also may result in disciplinary action and/or legal action in accordance with law and board policy.

The Superintendent or designee, with input from students and appropriate staff, shall regularly review and update procedures to enhance the safety and security of students using district technology and to help ensure that the district adapts to changing technologies and circumstances.

Internet Safety

The Superintendent or designee shall ensure that all district computers with Internet access have a technology protection measure that protects against access to visual depictions that are obscene, child pornography, or harmful to minors and that the operation of such measures is enforced. (20 USC 7131; 47 USC 254; 47 CFR 54.520)

To reinforce these measures, the Superintendent or designee shall implement rules and procedures designed to restrict students' access to harmful or inappropriate matter on the Internet and to ensure that students do not engage in unauthorized or unlawful online activities.

Harmful matter includes matter, taken as a whole, which to the average person, applying contemporary statewide standards, appeals to the prurient interest and is matter which depicts or describes, in a patently offensive way, sexual conduct and which lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value for minors. (Penal Code 313)

The district's Acceptable Use Agreement shall establish expectations for appropriate student conduct when using the Internet or other forms of electronic communication, including, but not limited to, prohibitions against:

1. Accessing, posting, submitting, publishing, creating, generating, or displaying harmful or inappropriate matter that is threatening, obscene, disruptive, or sexually explicit, or that could be construed as harassment or disparagement of others based on their race/ethnicity, national origin, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, or political beliefs

2. Intentionally uploading, downloading, or creating computer viruses and/or maliciously attempting to harm or destroy district equipment or materials or manipulate the data of any other user, including so-called "hacking"

3. Distributing personal identification information, including the name, address, telephone number, Social Security number, or other personally identifiable information, of another student, staff member, or other person with the intent to threaten, intimidate, harass, or ridicule that person

The Superintendent or designee shall regularly review current guidance regarding cybersecurity, data privacy, and digital media awareness and incorporate recommended practices into the district's processes and procedures related to the protection of the district's network infrastructure, the monitoring and response to cyberattacks, ensuring data privacy, and monitoring suspicious and/or threatening digital media content, in accordance with Board Policy 5125 - Student Records.

The Superintendent or designee shall provide age-appropriate instruction regarding safe and appropriate behavior on social networking sites, chat rooms, and other Internet services. Such instruction shall include, but not be limited to, the dangers of posting one's own personal identification information online, misrepresentation by online predators, how to report inappropriate or offensive content or threats, behaviors that constitute cyberbullying, and how to respond when subjected to cyberbullying.