Recording and AI Note-Taking

At UNIS, we strive to foster an inclusive and diverse learning environment where technology enhances creativity, collaboration, and communication.

• Educational Value: We recognize that recording is a powerful tool for academic growth, particularly for student assessments like oral exams, portfolios, and instructional coaching.

• Legal and Ethical Context: While New York is a "one-party consent" state - meaning you can record conversations you are part of - our identity as an international school guided by United Nations ideals leads us to a higher standard of mutual transparency.

• Protecting Our Community: This policy ensures that student and staff privacy is protected, keeping personally identifiable information (PII) secure and ensuring that all members of our community feel safe to express their opinions freely.

• Express Consent: Out of professional courtesy and respect, it is a violation of UNIS policy to record a conversation with any employee without their express consent.

• The Right to Decline: Any participant has the right to opt out of being recorded. If a concern is raised, the meeting must not be recorded.

• Sensitive Conversations: To maintain a secure environment, recordings should not take place during discussions involving highly sensitive student or community data, as this may lead to information being stored in less secure systems.

• Authorized Academic Use: Recording for legitimate educational purposes—specifically oral exams (such as IBDP or MLD assessments) and classroom projects—is permitted and supported.

• Media Release: For general classroom activities, the school utilizes the media release signed by parents during the annual enrollment process.

• Standard Procedure: When recording for an exam or assessment, faculty must use school-approved devices and provide a brief, supportive explanation to the student about why the recording is being made.

• Definition: All AI-based transcription and note-taking applications (whether integrated into Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, or standalone) are considered recording devices.

• Managing Automatic Joins: We recognize that some AI note-takers are set to join meetings automatically. If an AI note-taker joins a meeting, it must be disabled or removed unless express consent is gained from all participants.

• Personal Dictation: If a live recording is not appropriate or agreed upon, you can still benefit from AI tools through a "reflection workflow". You may record a summary for yourself after the meeting while the details are fresh.

• Protecting Anonymity: When recording meetings or reflection summaries, avoid using full student names to ensure sensitive information remains private.

• School-Managed Platforms: To keep our data secure, all school-related recordings must be stored on approved platforms like Google Workspace under @unis.org accounts.

• Device Boundaries: Faculty and staff are prohibited from using personal cell phones or tablets to record students or store sensitive school files.

• Data Ownership: All work products and recordings created on UNIS business systems are the sole property of the school.

• Review for Accuracy: Any notes, transcriptions, or summaries produced by an AI meeting assistant must be reviewed by the user for accuracy before they are relied upon, shared, or stored as an official record.

• Human Responsibility: AI-generated outputs may be incomplete, misleading, or inaccurate. Faculty and staff remain responsible for checking that any meeting record is fair, accurate, and appropriate for its intended use.

How should express consent be documented, and is verbal consent sufficient?

Sample Disclaimer:

"This meeting will be recorded/transcribed for [purpose]. By participating, you consent to being recorded. Please notify the host if you wish to opt out."

Is transient audio processing (for transcripts or summaries) considered a “recording” under the policy, even if the audio file is not retained?

Yes. All AI-based transcription and note-taking applications are classified as recording devices. Even if audio is processed transiently to produce a summary and then deleted, it is subject to the same restrictions, consent requirements, and platform protections as stored audio files.

What is the official retention period for audio recordings made for academic or professional purposes?

UNIS does not mandate a strict retention period for stored recordings; however, the school follows data minimization principles aligned with New York State Ed Law 2-d.

• Best Practice: It is recommended that audio recordings be deleted as soon as their primary purpose is served. Similar to meeting minutes, once a written summary or transcript has been verified for accuracy, the original audio file should be discarded.

• Recommended Timeline: It is generally recommended that audio recordings be deleted within 12 months or at the end of the academic year, whichever comes first.

• Educational Exception: Recordings kept for formal assessments (e.g., IBDP or MLD oral exams) should follow the specific retention requirements set by the respective academic governing body.

• Ownership: All recordings made on school systems remain the sole property of UNIS and may be reviewed or erased by the school at any time.

Is temporary storage on another system permissible for processing purposes? 

• Storing data on third-party systems is not permitted; all processing must use vetted, approved platforms. There are no temporary exceptions for unapproved services or personal devices. Contact the Technology Department to vet any new service for approval.

• Approved vs. Non-Approved Platforms

What platforms are prohibited, and under what conditions are they allowed?

Only Technology Department-vetted and division/department/school-licensed platforms may be used. Contact tech.support@unis.org for new service approval. Existing services prior to this policy will be prioritized for vetting with privacy consultant consultation.

The following platforms are currently approved for use: Google Workspace is approved school-wide. Additionally, the following platforms are vetted and approved at the departmental level: Zoom, Fireflies, Apple Notes, and Granola.

Educational Technology Subscriptions can be found here: UNIS EdTech Subscriptions 2025 - 26