Kennett’s AI Think Tank rolls out mini-course, permission process and draft guidelines for classroom use

District staff and community volunteers presented a multi-part update on the Kennett AI Think Tank’s work to create guidance, professional learning and student resources for responsible AI use.

Lead presenters described a multi-pronged approach that began in April 2023, convening teachers, parents, county IU partners and outside experts. The team said it used multiple platforms (including ChatGPT) to prototype admin and instructional uses and produced belief statements, acceptable-use guidelines and an academic-integrity framework. Team members said they created an asynchronous student mini-course in partnership with the intermediate unit and that the first iteration reached roughly 80% completion by Thanksgiving; they plan to refine the course, translate it into Spanish and run it in the first week of school next year.

Presenters addressed concerns teachers raised—plagiarism, privacy, data use and model bias—and described mitigation steps: a permission slip for students under 18, project-level unblocking for teacher-led activities, rubrics to evaluate AI platforms, and a process for administrative chatbots and controlled enterprise licenses to protect data and privacy. Presenters emphasized that the state does not require broad blocking of AI tools but that the district is blocking sites that violate CIPA/COPPA terms and will unblock specifically for teacher-approved projects.

Teacher presenters described classroom-level practices where AI is used to generate exemplars, tutoring prompts, lab activities and teacher-feedback drafts; an English department statement allows teachers discretion to permit or forbid AI for specific assignments. A guest expert, Dr. Christopher Wells, urged early exposure and training in AI and argued that "asking the right question" will be a critical skill for students.

The Think Tank asked the board to support continued professional development, parent informational sessions and consideration of enterprise licensing or purchased student/admin platforms that provide better privacy controls and shared resources for teachers and students.