The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board of Education officially passed a new policy governing how staff and students should use artificial intelligence.
The board passed the new policy unanimously. It caps off a months-long effort that started last school year to get community feedback on how the district should approach the new technology.
The policy encourages AI use in the classroom, but lays out expectations for responsible use of AI and notes it may not replace human interaction, creativity or decision-making. Board member Liz Monterrey-Duvall said the policy would help keep students competitive and said officials would be sensitive to concerns.
“AI is not going to take your job, but people that know AI and know how to use AI are going to take your job,” she said. “I truly believe that, and I’m excited for this, and I think it’s really cool that CMS is taking this step.”
The policy calls for a new AI Review Committee that would approve use of all AI-powered technologies or software. It calls for the district to provide training for all approved systems.
The policy requires students and staff to cite and acknowledge when they’ve used AI and says students should not use AI “as a substitute for effort or problem-solving skills.” The policy also lays out expectations for protecting student data and notes that AI inputs, prompts and generated materials could be subject to open records searches.
Last spring, CMS held a community summit on AI and conducted a survey that found a majority of respondents wanted to see more AI in the classroom.
