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Indianapolis Public Schools is considering AI policies that guide the district as they experiment with AI tools for teachers and staff.
The policy that the school board can vote later this month will follow a one-year pilot program, with 20 staff members using district-approved AI tools to better understand their uses and challenges. Although this policy does not address specific acceptable student use, it lists general guidelines for staff to ensure that AI tools are used appropriately for teaching and learning.
“There's a lot to learn from a wider group of adult users before placing students in a curriculum or in an environment where teachers are learning at the same time,” said Ashley Cowger, the district's chief systems officer. “We want to make sure our staff feel well equipped to determine what the boundaries are for using AI in our classrooms.”
The basic guidelines are one step into the complex AI landscapes that IPS and other districts are currently navigating. Districts can use tools such as Chatbots ChatGpt and Google Gemini to reduce time-consuming administrative tasks, but they need to balance concerns about online student privacy and the inherent bias of artificial tools.
Additionally, IPS will begin the second phase of its pilot AI program for the upcoming academic year, with more staff using the generative AI tool, Chatbot Google Gemini. However, the district has not yet adopted district-wide tools for staff.
“We're focused on playing long games, so we can't find ourselves in situations where we're sourcing different systems and those systems aren't meeting our needs in a year or two,” Cowger told the school board in May.
The district did not respond to questions from Chalkbeat Indiana about the second phase of its pilot program and future rules for using AI tools on each deadline.
AI can support lesson planning and create reports
The draft policy states that it must comply with applicable federal laws such as the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act, which are used to create impartial results using AI and mandatory student records privacy.
Staff should only use district-approved AI tools. This will allow for the appropriate AI products to be licensed, according to the draft policy. The “AI Advisory Committee” of administrators, teachers and technology and legal experts also provides opinions on the district-wide use of AI.
It is unclear when the advisory committee will be created.
Acceptable uses of AI listed in the draft policy include using:
- Draft communications such as emails and newsletters
- Create a data overview or report
- Supports lesson planning
- Automate “repeated, low-risk tasks”
Acceptable uses were shaped by pilots from past grades. He concluded that using AI would help staff perform more complex analytical tasks with less human brain power and abilities, Cowger told the board.
“It also simplified administrative tasks,” she said. “Our schools send newsletters every week, and we also regularly communicate with the district. We have tools like generative AI tools that will help you create your first draft that doesn't require at least 100% of human brain power.”
The first phase of the pilot included teachers, administrators and central office staff.
Google Gemini will cost $177 per user in the second phase of its 2025-26 pilot program, Cowger said. The second broader stage will help you understand how much the district wants to extend its use of AI into the 2026-27 academic year.
Cowger said districts' “responsible use agreements” for technology issued by districts such as laptops should also be renewed to “include the AI world.”
The district also negotiated a cheaper cost per user for Gemini in the second phase of the pilot, but Cowger said that if AI grows across the district, it needs to think about potential future costs.
Using the free version of AI tools risks sharing sensitive student information over the Internet, such as personalized educational plans for students, Cowger says.
The district has also outlined a “roadmap” for staff specialized learning to be used next year.
“We've heard a lot of what people want to know from hearing feedback from pilot groups over the course of this year. People want to know how the tool actually works. They understand that it's not magic, but they don't need to know all the science behind it,” says Cowger. “Something in the middle that they need to understand.”
Amelia Pack Hervey covers Indianapolis and Lawrence Township schools in Chalkbeat Indiana. Please contact Amelia apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.
