How to Create GenAI Guidelines for Schools

Right Tech, Right Time: Age-Appropriate Use in Schools 📘 The document, published by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI), explains how public schools from pre-kindergarten through grade 13 should introduce and manage generative AI. It offers clear, age-based guidance that aligns with student maturity and learning goals. Young children (ages 4–10) learn about AI through teacher-led activities 👧🏽👦🏼; middle-grade students (11–13) use AI with supervision to build understanding 🧠; and older students (14–18+) work with AI independently and responsibly 💻. Educators must first receive AI training, use approved tools, and protect data 🔒. Schools can apply this guidance to create safe, ethical, and developmentally appropriate AI policies and classroom practices. The document provides some age relevant orientation: Pre-K–5 (ages 4–10) 🏫 💡 Learn about AI, not with it. 🚫 No chatbot or AI tool use. 👩🏫 Teachers may show safe examples only. ❌ No student data entered into AI. 🎯 Goal: build curiosity and basic awareness. Grades 6–8 (ages 11–13) 📚 🧭 Use AI only with teacher supervision. 🧩 Activities stay structured and guided. 🚫 No unsupervised or personal AI use. 🔍 Focus on spotting mistakes and bias. 🎯 Goal: understand how AI works and its limits. Grades 9–13+ (ages 14–18+) 🎓 💻 Use AI independently and responsibly. ✅ Check accuracy, cite AI help, and follow rules. 🚫 No full AI-written work submitted. 🔒 Respect privacy and school policies. 🎯 Goal: ethical, skilled use for learning and creation. Educators (all levels) 🍎 🎓 Must complete AI training first. 💬 Model good prompting, ethics, and safety. 🛡️ Use only approved, secure AI tools. Image source: https://lnkd.in/eaGABZxH Full report: https://lnkd.in/eNrQWsNa

Want to know the key to creating GenAI guidelines that work for students? Involve students as key stakeholders in the process. I saw that first hand today while working with 11th grade students from South Brooklyn as they build AI policies for their fellow students as part of the yearlong NYC DOE HE3AT program. To say I am energized by their insights, engagement, and commitment is an understatement. Some of the takeaways I am bringing back to the wider work we do with schools and districts: 🌟 Students want to be able to use GenAI in targeted ways to support their learning - no one believed ChatGPT should be banned 🌟 Students want a set of clear guidelines on how to appropriately use GenAI - they do not want to be left on their own 🌟Accessibility and equity were of huge concern to students - some went as far as to say that students with disabilities and language needs should have MORE access to these tools 🌟Students believe that AI literacy training should include a focus on model bias and hallucinations 🌟 Students wanted tools that were targeted to students' grade level and specific needs GenAI is set to make the biggest difference in young people's lives. Yet we so rarely include them in conversations about GenAI adoption. My challenge to anyone working in this space is to bring students into the process at every step along the way. I promise it will be worth the effort! AI for Education Barry Haines Ed.D. #aiforeducation #teachingwithAI #studentvoice #aipolicy #aiethics #genAI #AI #ChatGPT

Addressing Student Use of AI: A Call to Action for School Leaders As AI tools become more accessible, it's crucial for educators to guide students in their ethical and effective use. Simply letting AI tools generate work undermines the learning process and can have long-term consequences for students. Case in point: As an administrator-in-training, I'm enrolled in a course on Law and Ethics in Education. Using AI to complete my assignments in their entirety would have extremely negative consequences—I need to understand these concepts for my future role. The same principle applies to our students. Key Considerations for Administrators & Instructional Coaches: 🔵 Proactive Conversations: Initiate discussions on the responsible use of AI, emphasizing its role as a tool to enhance learning, not replace it.  🔵 Clear Policies & Expectations: Establish guidelines for the use of AI tools that align with academic integrity and promote critical thinking. 🔵 Student Empowerment: Help students understand the value of deep learning and the limitations of AI-generated content. 🔵 Educator Support: Provide PD on leveraging AI ethically as both a teaching and learning tool. Below are resources to guide this discussion: 📝 Lesson plans for middle and high school students from AI for Education 🔗https://lnkd.in/gt6ASECJ 🤖 AI Assessment Scale (adapted from the original AIAS developed by Leon Furze, Dr Mike Perkins, Dr Jasper Roe FHEA, Dr. Jason MacVaugh) 🔗https://bit.ly/aiascanva 📚 AI Guidance for Schools Toolkit from TeachAi.org 🔗https://lnkd.in/gnw6evnM By fostering a culture of responsible AI integration, we can prepare our students to thrive in an AI-driven world. Let's start a dialogue. How is your school addressing the evolving role of AI in education? #AIinEducation #EdLeadership #InstructionalCoaching #AcademicIntegrity #FutureReady Image generated by DALL-E 3

Every teacher should have an AI policy for their classroom. I’m not talking about a 10-page document full of legal jargon. I mean something simple, clear, and collaboratively built with your students. A shared agreement. A reference point. A guide. Here’s how I see it: You don’t just hand this policy down from above. You sit with your students. You say, “Alright, AI is part of how we learn now. Let’s figure out how we’re going to use it, together.” You bring in your school’s rules, your own teaching values, and open the floor. When students help build the policy, their sense of responsibility? It grows. They own it. So what do you actually include in this policy? 1. Keep it focused: 2. What’s okay and what’s not 3. How to handle data and privacy 4. How to use AI ethically 5. What to do if things go wrong 6. And how to make sure every student gets access I put together this visual to help you get started. It’s based on insights from UNESCO’s AI framework and Priten Shah’s book on AI in education. I also added a few AI tools you can use to speed up the process like ChatGPT for drafting and Canva for turning it into a clean, shareable document. Here’s a process I suggest: - You start with a draft, just jot down your key points. - Then bring your students in. Talk through it. Let them suggest ideas. Turn it into a quick class project or discussion. - Once you have a rough version, ask ChatGPT or Claude to help you polish it. When it’s done, use Canva to design it. Print it. Share it. Stick it on the classroom wall. That’s it. You don’t need to finish it in one go. It can evolve with your class. Want the poster? I dropped the PDF link in the comment section. #AIinClassroom #TeachingWithAI #ClassroomPolicy #StudentVoice #EdTech #UNESCO #ChatGPTforTeachers #DigitalCitizenship #EducationAI #TeachingTips #AIpolicy #CanvaInClassroom #medkharbach #educatorstechnology