The local school board has unanimously approved a new policy that allows for the “responsible and ethical use” of artificial intelligence tools in classrooms.
The Maine School Administrative District 75 Board of Directors approved the policy at its meeting on Thursday, March 13, with little discussion. The district includes Harpswell, Topsham, Bowdoin and Bowdoinham.
The policy will take effect Sept. 1, at the start of the next academic year. Proponents have argued that tomorrow’s workforce must be proficient with AI tools, and that it’s better to set rules and expectations for ethical usage rather than try to ban the technology.
Some school board members had initially been hesitant to approve the policy, citing the tendency of AI tools to produce false information, and concern that some students might use it to cheat on their assignments. Revisions were made to the policy’s initial draft to emphasize the district’s rules against plagiarism.
The policy’s opening lines state: “MSAD 75 is committed to the ethical and productive use of generative AI as a tool to help district students learn while in school, and to be ready for their post-secondary school lives and careers. The purpose of this (policy) is to ensure the responsible and ethical use of (AI) in the district.”
The school board also approved its first request from a teacher to try out AI in the classroom. Next year, Mt. Ararat High School students will be allowed to work with Google’s Gemini AI in one section of a creative writing class under teacher supervision.
Gemini is designed to assist with various tasks and respond to user input with contextual awareness. Google offers a version specifically designed for use in classrooms.
Board member Jim Moulton, of Bowdoin, said the introduction of AI on a limited basis will provide the district with a “fortuitous” test case to gauge how students and educators respond to the technology.
“To some degree, (they will) run a skunk works, to see how it works, to ask the learners to do research along with the (teacher), to see the impact and possibilities for AI in a creative writing course,” Moulton told the board.
Various AI tools can generate new text, images, music and even short video clips. Some education experts say that, despite the need to fact-check, there are tremendous educational benefits to be had from the technology.
Still, University of Maine researcher Justin Dimmel has said the “thorniest problem” educators must face when incorporating AI into classrooms is how to persuade students not to simply let it do all their work for them. Dimmel recently co-authored a paper on AI use in mathematics education.
MSAD 75’s new policy includes AI usage guidelines for students, faculty and staff. Rules for students include following teacher instructions about proper use and attribution of AI-generated content, as well as fact-checking it for accuracy and objectivity.
A list of guidelines approved along with the new policy states: “AI will be used ethically to support student learning, will be used by students in a manner that ensures the integrity of their work, and will be appropriately cited.”
