Brevard County Schools adopts A.I. policy, guidelines: What to know

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla - The Brevard County School Board is taking action to manage how artificial intelligence is being used in the classroom.

On Tuesday, Brevard County School Board members officially adopted a new artificial intelligence (AI) policy to establish clear boundaries and expectations ahead of the upcoming school year.

Here are the adopted A.I. guidelines

Local perspective:

The policy outlines key boundaries to safeguard educational integrity and protect student data across Brevard Public Schools:

• Administrative Approval Required: All AI software, applications, and tools must be thoroughly vetted for privacy, data security and educational value.
• Curriculum Standards: Anything generated by AI has to support the state-mandated education curriculum and standards.
• Privacy protection: Students' personal information cannot be used with AI or submitted to AI.
• Human Oversight: Educators and teachers have to double-check and verify AI-generated content for accuracy, bias, and appropriateness.

District: A.I. can play a supportive role in education

What they're saying:

While BPS is enforcing strict oversight, school leaders recognized that AI can play a supportive role in educational environments.

Officials said some AI tools could help teachers and educational staff with administrative tasks and to help with organization.

For students, AI tools may be able to help with introductory research and brainstorming.

However, district leaders cautioned that relying on AI to build lesson plans or to complete assignments would backfire – and would not be accepted or allowed.

"You can use AI for organizational skills for certain things, you can use [it] behind the scenes," School Board Chair Matt Susin said.

For students, AI can serve as an introductory research tool or a starting point for brainstorming. However, district leaders caution that relying on AI to complete assignments will backfire when it comes to demonstrating actual subject mastery.

"Those kids aren't going to pass those final tests," Susin warned, stressing that students must continue to learn and process course material independently to succeed.

How can teachers use A.I.?

Local perspective:

Under the newly adopted rules, educators are not permitted to integrate AI tools into their classrooms without prior administrative review. Teachers must receive permission from their school principals before using any AI technology.

The district also emphasized that AI cannot replace state and federal curriculum mandates.

"Our teacher is not going to say, 'I need a lesson plan for American history,' and whatever it spits at them, start to teach," Susin said . "No, they are to learn lessons and set those standards, and that is set by federal and state laws."

Susin said it should be used for organizational tasks like sorting. 

District is planning to develop task force, online portal

The District said it plans to build a dedicated web portal to inform parents and guardians about every active AI application or tool across the district.

"Any family members who wish to go ahead and say, what’s being used, they can go that website and learn about it," said School Board Chair Matt Susin.

A committee will also be created to help oversee AI developments, technology, and tools should updated guidelines be needed.

"The policy itself gives a good structure over the top, but one of the things we really wrestled with is the constant change that’s happening with AI," Susin noted.