When districts create policies for appropriate use of artificial intelligence, they should not explain it only to teachers and students. They need to make sure parents are in the loop, too, two principals said during a recent K-12 Essentials Forum about big AI questions for schools.
Uxbridge High School in Massachusetts held a parent night last fall that sought to spell out school policy on the appropriate use of AI and give parents and caregivers a primer on the technology itself, said Principal Michael Rubin.
School leaders underscored that the generative AI that powers tools like Open AI鈥檚 ChatGPT, Google鈥檚 Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot is only one type of AI.
Rubin told parents, 鈥淗ey guys, if you used Waze [a GPS mapping app], and it gave you a better way to get to school, you鈥檝e used AI.鈥�
The parent night helped lay the groundwork for the rollout of AI-powered tools the district now uses, such as chatbots to support students in Spanish class and a counseling platform that relies, in part, on AI.
Examining the downsides and 鈥榳onderful potential鈥� of AI
Michael Martin, a principal at Buckeye Central High School in Ohio, said he鈥檚 reached out to parents about AI far more than they鈥檝e contacted him鈥攈e鈥檚 only gotten questions on the technology from two parents.
But he hopes to have an event similar to the parent night Rubin described next school year. He plans to discuss AI, including the negatives and its 鈥渨onderful potential,鈥� then delve into the school鈥檚 polices on the technology.
Rubin suggests schools and districts have a clear idea of what they see as appropriate AI use before bringing parents in to talk about the technology.
鈥淚 would strongly recommend not putting the cart before the horse, of making sure that you have your own house in order before you bring it outside to the parents,鈥� Rubin said.
But school leaders should anticipate that parent questions are coming, he added.
Even if schools are only getting questions from a couple of parents, 鈥渢wo people can become 50 very, very quickly,鈥� Rubin pointed out.
