AI + Learning · A policy toolkit for schools

You can’t ban AI. You can design the room.

AI is on every phone, every laptop and every search bar. A school can’t control what students use at home, and shouldn’t try. What it can control is the learning environment at school: the tool it approves, what happens in the classroom, and how students show what they know.

See how it works Build your policy

What doesn’t work

  • Banning AI tools
  • Locking down devices
  • Policing what students do at home
  • Treating AI-detector scores as proof

What does

  • Approving one safe platform for school work
  • Governing the work, not the device
  • Controlling the classroom — and proving learning there
  • Teaching every student to use AI well

How a school AI policy works

AI is everywhere. The school controls the room.

A school can’t wall off AI. It can choose a safe platform, set clear rules for each assignment, and look at real evidence of learning.

Outside school · AI is everywhere Phones Home laptops Search engines Chatbots Homework apps Social media Email & docs Smart speakers

Inside school · The learning environment

Step 1 Select the platform
  • Privacy: FERPA, COPPA and state law
  • Security: data stays in the school’s account, no model training
  • Instructional value and accessibility
  • Board approval
Result: one approved AI tool, on school accounts
Step 2 Set the level for each assignment
Red · Human only
Shown in the room, no AI or devices: in-class writing, tests, oral defense.
Yellow · AI-assisted
AI for the steps the teacher names, like brainstorming or feedback. Disclosed.
Green · AI-open
Full use of the school’s AI to research, create and build. Disclosed with a chat link.
Result: every assignment says which level it is
Step 3 Check the evidence
  • A chat link showing how AI was used
  • Revision history of the work
  • Comparison with work done in the room
  • A conversation with the student about how it was made
AI-detector scores are never proof

The school doesn’t police home use. It designs the room.

Build your policy

Ten sections. One question each.

Answer each question with your board, staff, students and families. The sample language is a starting point. A full sample policy template is coming soon.

01 · Purpose Why does our school use AI at all? “AI is a scaffold for thinking, an inquiry accelerator and a feedback partner. It never replaces original thought, a student’s own voice or mastery of foundational skills.”
02 · Platform Which tool will students use for school work? “[Platform], used through the student’s school account, is approved for school work. Other tools are not approved. The school does not monitor students’ personal use of technology.”
03 · Privacy Does the tool protect student data? “Approved tools comply with FERPA, COPPA and state privacy law, keep data in the school’s account, never train on it and allow no outside human review.”
04 · New tools Who approves the next tool? “New tools pass a legal, security and instructional review. Major platforms need board approval; minor tools, the head of school.”
05 · The learning environment How will students show what they know? “Teachers mark each assignment Red (human only, shown in the room), Yellow (AI-assisted) or Green (AI-open). AI use is disclosed, and every course includes regular in-room work.”
06 · Disclosure How do students show how AI helped? “A short note on what the tool did and what was checked, or a share link to the chat. Teachers may waive it for informal work.”
07 · Accuracy Who’s responsible when AI is wrong? “The student. Every fact, quote and citation is theirs to verify. Students learn to question whose view the AI leaves out.”
08 · Fair process What happens when we suspect misuse? “Detector scores are never the sole evidence. We look at revision history and in-class work, talk with the student, and coach first.”
09 · Wellness What can’t AI be for? “AI is not a counselor. Students in crisis go to counseling staff and the 988 Lifeline. Harassing, explicit or dangerous content is prohibited.”
10 · Staff & review Who decides, and who keeps it current? “AI never makes grading, placement or discipline decisions on its own. Families get annual notice, and a committee reviews the policy every year.”

From draft to adopted

A policy in one semester.

  1. Step 1 Listen Share a draft with staff, board, students and families. Ask what’s unclear and what’s missing.
  2. Step 2 Review Legal counsel checks the policy and the platform’s contract terms.
  3. Step 3 Adopt First reading, then a board vote.
  4. Step 4 Launch Set up the platform, train every teacher, notify families — then review every year.

In California? The Department of Education released its Model Policy: Artificial Intelligence in Education in June 2026, under SB 1288. It’s a flexible template, not a requirement — use it as a checklist alongside this toolkit.

Read the CDE model policy →

A full sample policy is coming soon.

An editable template with all ten sections, decision prompts, an adoption timeline and reviewer questions. Want it when it’s ready? Get in touch.

Get in touch