School District of Oconee County

AI is a strong force for improvement, not only in student learning but also in making the jobs of our teachers better. This section focuses on using AI to increase our abilities and learning outcomes.

For Students: Custom Learning and Skill Building

• Customized Learning: Use AI tools to offer instruction that is different and tailored for each student, giving them timely, specific practice and feedback.
• Future Skills: Include AI use in schoolwork to build key 21st-century skills, such as critical thinking, teamwork, and knowing how to use digital tools, which gets students ready for a world powered by AI.
• Creativity: Encourage the responsible use of generative AI for thinking up ideas, making rough outlines, and working on creative projects that go beyond what old tools allow.

For Teachers: Better Work Flow and Professional Growth

• Lesson Planning: Use generative AI to assist with routine tasks like writing lesson plans, making grading rules (rubrics), or changing teaching materials. This saves time for working directly with students.
• Grades and Feedback: Use AI-supported tools to help give quick and helpful feedback on student work, letting teachers focus on judging work more deeply and adjusting their teaching.
• Skill Building: Offer ongoing training on AI literacy—not just how to use the tools, but how to teach students to judge information carefully and use AI ethically.

AI must act as a way to boost learning and education goals, never replacing the crucial bond between students, teachers, and the standards being taught. AI tools should be used to make student learning experiences and results better, and they must closely match research-based teaching methods and learning standards. Our approach is centered on people.

The Human-AI-Human (H-AI-H) Process

The district will use the H-AI-H method as a core rule for responsible use:

• Person Asks: A person (student or teacher) starts the process with a clear, important question or task.
• AI Provides: The AI tool creates an output (text, image, data analysis).
• Person Reflects: Teachers and/or students carefully check facts, edit, and add their own understanding and final thoughts to the AI’s output.

Main Rules for Using AI

• AI Adds To, Not Takes Over: Teachers’ main focus will stay on students learning the planned curriculum standards. AI systems must support, not replace, the teacher's role, the need for proven teaching methods, the meaningful class relationships, and the student’s own learning process.
• Careful Checking: All users must treat AI output as a rough draft that needs careful checking for correctness, bias, and completeness. The user is the final judge of quality.
• Specific Use Rules: Teachers will clearly state when AI use is allowed, forbidden, or required for an assignment, making sure it’s used in a consistent way.

Responsible use of AI needs clear safety measures to protect student rights, ensure academic honesty, and reduce risks from the AI's programming.

Data Privacy and Security

• Protecting Student Information: Staff and students must never put private or identifying information (PII) into public, outside AI tools that the district has not officially approved and checked.
• Reviewing Tools: All platforms that use AI must be strictly reviewed to follow state and federal laws, including FERPA and COPPA.
• Openness: When using district-approved AI systems, users must be told about what data is gathered and how that data is used or stored.

Academic Honesty

• Academic Integrity: Using AI to create an assignment or answer without properly citing and revealing it is considered cheating and a form of academic dishonesty.
• Citing Rules: Students and staff must be taught the right ways to cite (like MLA or APA) to show when they used generative AI in their work.
• Tool Limits: Relying only on undependable outside AI detection tools to determine academic dishonesty is not allowed. Deciding if cheating occurred must include professional judgment and other types of proof.

Generative AI is a tool; it cannot take the place of essential schoolwork, like critical thinking, real research, talking with people, or developing original writing and problem-solving skills.

• Set Clear Goals: Decide on learning goals when using AI. Talk with your student about how the technology will help their learning in a specific class or task (for example, thinking up ideas, summarizing a reading, or practicing a skill).
• Encourage Balance: Make sure AI use is balanced with traditional learning, hands-on activities, and working directly with class materials.

Parents must be careful about the privacy and security of any outside AI platform used at home.

• Age Rules: Most generative AI tools require users to be at least 13 years old to make an account. Parents must follow the rules and age limits of any platform they use.
• Use Personal Accounts Only: If you let your student use a generative AI tool, they must use a personal account, not an SDOC account. The School District is not responsible for data security or privacy on tools not approved by the district.
• Protect Information: Never let your student share private or sensitive details (names, addresses, phone numbers, school passwords) with any AI tool. Before allowing use, look at the platform’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.

Parental supervision is the most important part of making sure AI is used responsibly at home.

• Active Supervision: Always watch over your student’s use of generative AI tools, especially for younger children. Know which tools they are using and what they are asking the AI to produce.
• Review Content: Regularly check the content the AI creates to make sure it is correct, appropriate, and matches the learning goal.
• Time Management: Set clear time limits for using AI tools to prevent using them too much and to keep a balanced life.

Responsible AI use strengthens the main values of academic honesty, integrity, and intellectual curiosity.

• Check and Fact-Check: Encourage students to carefully judge the quality and truth of all AI-generated content and check the facts of the results.
• Originality and Creativity: Focus on using AI to boost creativity, not just copy what already exists. AI output should be a source of ideas or a starting point for their own original thinking.
• Respect Copyright and Plagiarism: Teach your student about copyright laws and the crucial need to give credit to original sources. Students must never submit AI-generated content as their own original work for school assignments unless the teacher has clearly allowed it and it is properly cited.

Generative AI is changing quickly. Keeping open communication will help you and your student manage its challenges.

• Keep Talking: Have an ongoing conversation with your student(s) about their experiences, successes, and difficulties when using AI. Deal with any questions or worries right away.
• Be Ready to Adjust: Be prepared to adjust your guidance as you get more experience and as the technology keeps changing.