Board approves multi-year professional development and instructional-technology plans, raises questions about AI literacy

The Saranac Lake Central School District Board on June 3 approved multi-year professional development and instructional-technology plans that explicitly include instruction and guidance on AI literacy for staff and students.

Administrators said both plans were developed by staff co-committees and will take effect July 1 as multi-year frameworks. Board member questions focused on what 'AI literacy' means in practice; a staff presenter described AI literacy as teaching ethical and critical use of tools, an awareness of environmental impacts, and skills to distinguish valid from biased outputs. The presenter said the district is piloting Trumark, a guided AI program that prompts students and then requires them to produce original writing, describing it as "training wheels for AI" that uses a Socratic-method approach to encourage students to rephrase and think rather than copy and paste.

Trustees also asked whether assistive and specialized technology for students with IEPs is accounted for; staff said assistive-technology evaluation would be conducted via the IEP process and, when needed, specialized devices or assessments would be introduced through that channel. Board members cautioned against repeatedly chasing emergent ed-tech trends and asked for periodic evaluation and standing agenda consideration of major AI developments.

The board approved the instructional-technology plan (Resolution 095 2025) and the professional-development plan (Resolution 094 2025) by voice vote.