Lesson 14: Responsible AI: Building an AI Use Policy for Your School

Learning Objectives

• Analyze real-world AI use scenarios in educational settings and evaluate whether each use is ethical, appropriate, and aligned with academic integrity standards
• Research existing AI use policies from schools, universities, and districts, identifying common elements, strengths, and gaps in current approaches
• Evaluate the perspectives of multiple stakeholders (students, teachers, parents, administrators) regarding AI use in schools and articulate the concerns and priorities of each group
• Create a comprehensive, implementable AI use policy that addresses acceptable use, academic integrity, privacy, equity, and accountability
• Present and defend policy recommendations using evidence-based argumentation, responding to counterarguments and stakeholder concerns

Standards Alignment

• ISTE 1.2.b (Digital Citizen): Students engage in positive, safe, legal and ethical behavior when using technology, including social interactions online or when using networked devices
• ISTE 1.2.c (Digital Citizen): Students demonstrate an understanding of and respect for the rights and obligations of using and sharing intellectual property
• CSTA 3A-IC-24: Evaluate the ways computing impacts personal, ethical, social, economic, and cultural practices
• CSTA 3A-IC-25: Test and refine computational artifacts to reduce bias and equity deficits
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.1: Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade-level topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.7: Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration
• C3 Framework D2.Civ.10.6-8: Explain the relevance of personal interests and perspectives, civic virtues, and democratic principles when people address issues and problems in government and civil society

Materials Needed

• Computer, tablet, or Chromebook with internet access for each group of 3-4 students (for research phase)
• AI Scenario Cards - set of 12 cards per group (included in downloadable materials)
• Policy Drafting Template - one per group (included in downloadable materials)
• Stakeholder Perspective Worksheets - one set of 4 per group (included in downloadable materials)
• Research Guide: Existing AI Policies - one per group (included in downloadable materials)
• Assessment Rubrics - for teacher use (included in downloadable materials)
• Presentation Slides - for teacher-led instruction (included in downloadable materials)
• Chart paper or whiteboard space for each group to display key policy provisions during presentations
• Sticky notes or voting cards (3 per student) for the policy provision voting activity
• Projection system for displaying teacher slides and student presentations
• Parent Communication Letter about the lesson (included in downloadable materials)

Lesson Procedure

1. Hook: AI Scenario Challenge (10 minutes)

   Launch the lesson by presenting students with a rapid-fire series of real-world AI scenarios that schools are grappling with right now. The goal is to surface the complexity of AI use in education and demonstrate that there are no simple answers - which is precisely why schools need thoughtful policies.

   Opening Prompt: Display the following statement on screen: "In 2024, over 50% of college students reported using AI tools for schoolwork, yet fewer than 30% of their schools had a clear AI use policy. Today, you're going to fix that."

   Scenario Quick-Vote Activity:

   • Distribute the AI Scenario Cards (or display them one at a time on screen)
   • For each scenario, students stand on a spectrum from "Totally Acceptable" (one side of the room) to "Absolutely Not Acceptable" (the other side) with "It Depends" in the middle
   • Present 4-5 scenarios quickly, choosing ones with maximum disagreement potential:
     • Scenario 1: A student uses ChatGPT to write their entire history essay and submits it as their own work
     • Scenario 2: A student uses AI to brainstorm 10 essay topic ideas, then picks one and writes the entire essay themselves
     • Scenario 3: A student who recently immigrated uses AI to translate their homework assignment from their native language into English so they can understand the questions
     • Scenario 4: A student with dyslexia uses AI to help organize their thoughts into an outline before writing
     • Scenario 5: Your school installs AI-powered cameras that use facial recognition to track student attendance
   • After each scenario, briefly ask 2-3 students from different positions to explain their reasoning

   Key Debrief Questions:

   • "Notice how much disagreement there is in this room. Why do you think that is?"
   • "What makes some AI uses feel acceptable and others feel like cheating?"
   • "If we can't agree as a class, how do you think an entire school is supposed to figure this out?"
   • "This is exactly why schools need AI use policies - and today, you're going to write one."

   Transition by explaining that schools across the country are struggling with these exact questions, and that students - as the people most directly affected by AI policies - deserve a voice in creating them.

2. Research Phase: Exploring Existing AI Policies (15 minutes)

   Divide students into groups of 3-4. Each group will research how real schools and universities have approached AI use policies, using the Research Guide as a structured framework for their investigation.

   Research Setup:

   • Distribute the Research Guide: Existing AI Policies to each group
   • Assign or let groups choose one of the following real-world policies to analyze in depth:
     • Group A: New York City Department of Education AI policy (initially banned, then reversed to allow with guidelines)
     • Group B: Stanford University's Generative AI Policy (emphasizes transparency and course-by-course flexibility)
     • Group C: MIT's AI Academic Integrity Guidance (focuses on attribution and honest representation)
     • Group D: Los Angeles Unified School District's AI framework (student-centered approach with guardrails)
     • Group E: International Baccalaureate (IB) AI guidance (global perspective with citation requirements)
     • Group F: UNESCO Guidance on Generative AI in Education (international framework)

   Research Tasks (using the Research Guide):

   • Identify the key provisions of their assigned policy (what does it allow? what does it prohibit?)
   • Analyze the policy's approach to academic integrity and citation
   • Note how the policy addresses privacy, equity, and access
   • Evaluate strengths and weaknesses of the policy
   • Record specific language or provisions they might want to adopt or adapt

   Teacher Role During Research:

   • Circulate to ensure groups are finding relevant information and using the research guide effectively
   • Help groups that are struggling to locate their assigned policy online
   • Encourage groups to look for the "why" behind each policy provision, not just the "what"
   • Prompt critical thinking: "Who do you think wrote this policy? Were students involved?"

   With 3 minutes remaining, ask each group to prepare a 30-second summary of their assigned policy's most interesting or surprising provision to share with the class.

3. Stakeholder Perspectives Role-Play (15 minutes)

   Within each group, assign each member a different stakeholder role. Each student will use the corresponding Stakeholder Perspective Worksheet to articulate the concerns, priorities, and non-negotiables of their assigned stakeholder group.

   Stakeholder Roles:

   • The Student: Concerned about fairness, learning quality, access to tools peers are using, privacy, and preparation for a world where AI is ubiquitous. Key tension: wanting to use efficient tools while recognizing the value of genuine learning.
   • The Teacher: Concerned about academic integrity, ability to assess genuine student learning, workload implications, and professional development needs. Key tension: wanting to embrace innovation while maintaining rigor and validity of assessment.
   • The Parent/Guardian: Concerned about child's safety online, quality of education, preparation for future careers, screen time, and whether their child is actually learning. Key tension: wanting the best tools for their child while worrying about shortcuts and dependency.
   • The Administrator: Concerned about legal liability, equitable implementation, community expectations, budget constraints, and school reputation. Key tension: wanting to be forward-thinking while managing risk and ensuring compliance.

   Activity Structure:

   1. Individual Preparation (5 minutes): Each student reads their stakeholder worksheet, completes the concerns inventory, and identifies their character's top 3 priorities for an AI policy
   2. Stakeholder Roundtable (7 minutes): Each group conducts a simulated school board meeting where each stakeholder presents their perspective and priorities. Other group members listen actively and take notes on areas of agreement and conflict
   3. Finding Common Ground (3 minutes): Groups identify 3-4 principles or provisions that all four stakeholders can agree on. These become the foundation for their policy draft

   Guiding Questions for the Roundtable:

   • "From your stakeholder's perspective, what is the single most important thing an AI policy must address?"
   • "What would your stakeholder absolutely refuse to accept in a policy? What's the red line?"
   • "Where might your stakeholder be willing to compromise?"
   • "What does your stakeholder need from the other stakeholders to feel heard and supported?"

   Teacher Facilitation Tips:

   • Encourage students to stay in character and advocate genuinely for their stakeholder's position
   • If a group reaches easy consensus too quickly, introduce a complicating scenario: "What if a student's family can't afford internet access at home - how does that change the policy?"
   • Remind students that real policy-making involves exactly this kind of difficult negotiation between legitimate competing interests
4. Policy Drafting Workshop (25 minutes)

   This is the heart of the lesson. Using the Policy Drafting Template and drawing on their research findings and stakeholder discussions, each group collaboratively drafts a comprehensive AI use policy for their school.

   Distribute the Policy Drafting Template and review its sections:

   1. Purpose Statement: Why does the school need this policy? What values does it uphold?
   2. Definitions: What do we mean by "AI," "generative AI," "AI-assisted work," and "AI-generated work"? Clear definitions prevent confusion and loopholes
   3. Acceptable Uses: When and how may students and staff use AI tools? Under what conditions?
   4. Prohibited Uses: What AI uses are never acceptable? Where are the bright lines?
   5. Citation and Attribution: How must AI use be disclosed? What format should citations take?
   6. Privacy and Data Protection: What AI tools are approved? What student data may be shared? What consent is required?
   7. Equity and Access: How will the school ensure all students have equal access to permitted AI tools? How will the policy account for students with disabilities who may need AI accommodations?
   8. Consequences: What happens when the policy is violated? How are consequences graduated and fair?
   9. Review Process: How often will this policy be reviewed and updated? Who is involved in revisions?

   Drafting Best Practices (share with students):

   • Be specific, not vague: "Students may use AI to brainstorm topics but must write all submitted text themselves" is better than "Students should use AI responsibly"
   • Address gray areas: The best policies anticipate edge cases and provide guidance for "it depends" situations
   • Consider enforceability: A policy that cannot be enforced is worse than no policy at all because it teaches students that rules don't matter
   • Balance innovation with integrity: The goal is not to ban AI but to ensure it is used in ways that support genuine learning
   • Write for clarity: The policy should be understandable to a 6th grader, a parent, and a school board member alike

   Real-World Policy Language Examples to Share:

   • "Students must disclose any use of AI tools in the completion of academic work. This includes using AI for brainstorming, outlining, drafting, editing, translating, coding, data analysis, or image generation." - Adapted from Stanford University guidance
   • "The use of AI-generated content submitted as one's own work without proper attribution constitutes academic dishonesty, equivalent to submitting another person's work as one's own." - Adapted from IB guidance
   • "Classroom teachers retain the authority to set specific AI use parameters for individual assignments. When an assignment does not include explicit AI guidance, students should assume AI use is not permitted." - Adapted from multiple school policies

   Workshop Management:

   • Circulate actively, spending 2-3 minutes with each group to check progress and push thinking
   • At the 10-minute mark, give a progress check: groups should have completed their Purpose Statement and Definitions and be working on Acceptable/Prohibited Uses
   • At the 18-minute mark, announce 7 minutes remaining and advise groups to ensure they address all sections, even if briefly
   • Encourage groups to star their strongest, most original provision - this is what they'll highlight during presentations
5. Policy Presentations and Class Vote (15 minutes)

   Each group presents the highlights of their AI use policy to the class, followed by a democratic voting process to select the strongest individual provisions from across all groups.

   Presentation Format (2-3 minutes per group):

   • Groups present their policy's purpose statement and 3-4 strongest or most innovative provisions
   • Each group must explain the reasoning behind at least one provision: "We included this because..."
   • Class audience members may ask one clarifying question per presentation
   • Encourage groups to highlight any provision they are especially proud of or that addresses a gap they noticed in existing real-world policies

   Voting Process:

   • After all presentations, each student receives 3 sticky notes or voting cards
   • On each card, students write one specific policy provision from any group (not their own) that they think should be included in the final "class policy"
   • Students post their votes on the board or a designated wall space, grouped by policy section
   • Briefly tally and discuss the most popular provisions

   Facilitation Questions During Discussion:

   • "Which provisions got the most votes? Why do you think those resonated with the class?"
   • "Were there any provisions that were controversial - that some people loved and others opposed?"
   • "Did any group include something that no one else thought of? What was it?"
   • "If we were to combine the best provisions from every group into one master policy, what would it look like?"
   • "How would you feel about presenting this policy to your actual school administration?"

   Connecting to Real Impact: If time allows, discuss how students could actually influence their school's AI policy. Many school districts have student advisory councils, and presenting a well-researched student-drafted AI policy to a school board is exactly the kind of civic engagement that makes a difference.

6. Reflection and Action Planning (10 minutes)

   Close the lesson with individual reflection that connects the policy-making experience to students' own AI use and their role as digital citizens.

   Written Reflection Prompts (choose 2-3):

   • "Before this lesson, how did you decide when it was okay to use AI for schoolwork? Has your thinking changed? How?"
   • "Which stakeholder perspective surprised you the most during the role-play? What did you learn from seeing the issue through their eyes?"
   • "What is the single most important provision you think every school AI policy should include? Why?"
   • "If your school adopted the policy your group wrote, how would it change the way you use AI tools? Would that be a good thing?"
   • "What is one thing about AI in education that you're still uncertain about or want to learn more about?"

   Action Planning:

   • Ask each student to identify one concrete action they will take as a result of this lesson:
     • Change how they use AI tools for schoolwork
     • Start citing AI use when they use it
     • Talk to a parent or teacher about AI in education
     • Advocate for an AI policy at their school
     • Help a peer understand responsible AI use
   • Students write their action commitment on an index card and turn it in as an exit ticket

   Closing Message: Remind students that AI technology and its role in education will continue to evolve rapidly. The skills they practiced today - research, stakeholder analysis, policy writing, and evidence-based argumentation - are exactly the skills they need to be active, informed participants in shaping how AI is used in their communities, workplaces, and society. The question is not whether AI will be part of their future - it already is. The question is whether they will have a voice in how it is used.

Assessment Strategies