Priorities
Artificial Intelligence in Our Schools
AI is already in our classrooms: in students' pockets, in teachers' tools, and in the software the district buys. However, this challenge is nothing new. Public education has always had to adapt to new technologies.
What I’ll work for
A clear, practical AI policy for the district
Students and teachers deserve to know what’s allowed, what isn’t, and why. A good policy sits between a ban and a free-for-all. It distinguishes between using AI to learn and using it to avoid learning, and it gets revisited regularly, because this technology changes fast.
Where our current policy falls short
Right now, GHAPS handbooks treat using AI on an assignment or test as academic dishonesty unless a teacher specifically authorizes it, and the high school handbook treats unauthorized use as a form of plagiarism subject to discipline. I understand the thinking behind that approach, and I’ll serve alongside the people who wrote it. But I believe it’s shortsighted. Framing AI mainly as a cheating risk pushes students toward using it in secret, on their own devices, with no guidance at all. Even if certain tools stay off-limits during the school day, the district should give students sanctioned tools for studying and projects, with clear instructions and expectations for how to use them.
Supporting teachers, not replacing their judgment
Used well, AI can be a powerful tool for education. When used for a specific purpose (like building the website you’re using right now), AI can stretch individual skills into new areas. But AI is not a replacement for human thought, judgment, or creativity. Giving teachers access to good tools and training can be helpful in the right context, but used poorly, it can adversely affect students. I would support policies that encourage the thoughtful use of any technology, but never as a replacement for staff or as a way to promote quantity over quality.
Protecting student data
Every AI tool the district adopts is also a data decision. Before any AI services are purchased, we should know what student information a vendor collects, where it goes, and how we get out of the deal if the answers change.