Virginia Beach trials classroom AI with Gemini; board presses for clearer monitoring of 'power users'

Dr. Ryan Goldberg, director of instructional technology, led a workshop demonstration showing how the division pilots AI in high school classrooms and how teachers apply guardrails. "We view AI not as a trend to follow, but simply as one tool in our toolbox to engage students and accomplish our mission of future readiness," Goldberg said, introducing examples from Tallwood and First Colonial High Schools.

Presenters described a "human-first" workflow: students research and draft original work, teachers then authorize targeted use of Gemini to provide feedback tied to a rubric, and students must analyze and paraphrase AI suggestions before revising their own products. During the simulation, participants brainstormed threats to the Chesapeake Bay, used a vetted prompt in Gemini, reviewed outputs, and practiced reprompting to refine results. Presenters stressed teachers retain control over when approved AI tools are unlocked and that the Securely filtering system blocks unapproved sites (for example, ChatGPT) while allowing approved tools like Gemini in lesson-specific plans.

Board members responded with a mix of enthusiasm and precaution. Miss Rogers asked how the district monitors a small subset of high-request users — described in the presentation data as a small percentage — and whether teachers will be able to access student prompt histories directly. Staff said Google Vault can be used centrally to pull student prompt data for case-by-case review and that a Securely teacher-facing chat-monitoring feature is planned for rollout next fall; until then, prompt reviews are performed through central office coordination.

A board member also cited a Securely vendor analysis (Dec. 1, 2025–Feb. 20, 2026) that examined over 2.2 million AI conversations and reported about 78% were deemed educationally appropriate, with roughly 2% showing signs of self-harm or violent content. Staff noted vendor data are useful but that the division runs its own approval and demo process for prospective platforms and continues to adapt as tools change rapidly.

Next steps: The board did not take formal action during the workshop but flagged the topic for further discussion at an upcoming retreat. Staff will continue refining teacher-facing monitoring tools, rollout plans for Securely chat, and professional learning to build teachers' capacity to guide students' AI use.