Parents and experts urge caution on generative AI; librarians describe districts AI-literacy lessons

Parents, students and subject-matter experts urged the Ann Arbor Public Schools board to avoid or pause a districtwide generative-AI rollout until teachers are meaningfully involved and community concerns are addressed.

Angie Berkeley, a University of Michigan writing teacher and parent, told the board she opposed incorporating generative-AI tools into Advanced Academic Programs curricula and cited research that short-term AI assistance can reduce students' long-term problem-solving ability. "I do not want our AAPs students to be paying this kind of heavy cognitive cost," she said.

Sonia Chawla, who identified herself as a parent and a researcher with experience on generative-AI ethics, told trustees teacher partnership must be central to any plan and warned against introducing even rudimentary AI instruction to early grades unless teachers have time and training to support it. "Human-in-the-loop is mostly useless if these humans do not have the expertise to tease apart truth from hallucinations and bias," Chawla said.

Representing the library department, Rachel Goldberg and Jennifer Colby offered the board a description of the districts AI-literacy work, emphasizing instruction and safeguards. They told trustees that elementary students are not being taught to use AI tools on district devices and that district librarians are delivering five AI-literacy lessons to fifth graders this year (some fourth graders where appropriate). The lessons, adapted from Common Sense Media materials and supplemented locally, cover topics such as "What is AI?", chatbots and hallucinations, plagiarism, and the environmental impact of AI. Librarians said the district is revising its acceptable-use policy to embed responsible-use principles, media literacy and AI literacy.

Trustees and staff

During clarifying remarks, Superintendent Jaz Parks said AI guidance is an integral part of the districts strategic planning process and that the board will have an opportunity to weigh in and to request modifications before any formal authorization. Parks said, "we will be doing that and it is an integral part of the strategic planning process and the feedback that we want to hear from families." No formal vote on AI policy occurred at the meeting.

What happens next

District staff said AI materials and acceptable-use policy revisions will be circulated to appropriate committees and that the board will be asked to review or authorize any formal framework in a future meeting. Parents and subject-matter experts asked that teachers be front and center in curriculum development and professional development if AI tools are adopted.