The district amended its Student Code of Conduct for the 2024-25 school year to include a code of conduct specifically related to artificial intelligence, which was approved by the board of trustees at an Aug. 21 meeting.
The new policy outlines when and how students may use AI in their school work based on guidelines set by district teachers.
How it works
LTISD’s new Artificial Intelligence Code of Conduct provides guidance on how students should use generative AI—a form of AI that creates content such as text, images, audio, video and code, and includes platforms like ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini.
Teachers may choose to implement one of three levels related to AI use in their classrooms, including recommending, permitting and restricting the use of AI for certain assignments:
- AI recommended: “Students are encouraged to explore AI tools and techniques to enhance their work” and “properly cite any AI-generated work products.”
- AI permitted: “Students can choose AI tools and techniques if they believe it will improve their work” and “properly cite any AI-generated work products.”
- AI restricted: “Students are expected to complete the work using only their own knowledge and skills.”
The background
The new LTISD policy comes as AI has grown increasingly popular in higher education, LTISD Executive Director for Technology Chris Woehl said. More universities have begun placing guidelines around AI as some students have been accused of plagiarizing their essays through AI programs, he said.
“[AI] is kind of in this wild west right now,” Woehl told Community Impact. “So for us, how can we get ahead of this looking at K-12 and start putting some framework and guardrails in place so that when it really becomes more mainstream for our students, we at least have thought about this strategically and educated our staff and are encouraging our students to use it in an appropriate manner.”
Woehl said the district is looking to educate students on how to use AI ethically and understand the limitations of AI, including any potential biases platforms may have. The updated code of conduct asks students to maintain data privacy, check their sources and provide attribution.
Why it matters
AI tools can provide students more personalized ways to learn depending on their needs, Woehl said.
“Our goal is to get the best out of each and every student,” Woehl said. “They may not get a concept very well, but we have some generative tool that creates something specific to help them grasp a concept.”
Additionally, AI may help teachers become more efficient in creating lesson plans, test questions and study plans, he said.
What’s next
After familiarizing administrators with AI platforms last school year, the district is now looking at how teachers may use AI in their instruction, Woehl said. This school year, the district began using Magic School AI—a platform that provides educators tools to plan lessons, and create rubrics and study aids.
LTISD is developing training around AI for teachers and may increase its focus on how students use AI programs next school year, he said.
