As artificial intelligence technology evolves, so do school policies and local government guidance. Instead of jumping to outright bans, many policies emphasize educating students about the abilities and limitations of AI, as well as the importance of using it responsibly and ethically.
AI opinions and education
Many teachers and parents have expressed concern regarding students’ privacy and safety, as well as their responsibility not to use AI to cheat and do their work for them. According to a study by the Pew Research Center, a quarter of public K-12 teachers say they believe using AI does more harm than good.
Schools continue to navigate the challenges of AI by providing targeted training for teachers to help them better understand how to use it effectively in their classrooms.
To help teachers become more familiar with the tool and increase classroom usage, Microsoft and OpenAI announced a plan earlier this year to spend millions on a new program training teachers to use AI.
At the same time, many districts are proactively addressing ethical concerns by offering informational sessions for students and staff while fostering open communication with parents, stakeholders and community members to ensure transparency and build trust.
Some educational institutions, such as The Ohio State University, use Turnitin, an anti-plagiarism tool that detects AI-generated work and text that has been paraphrased by AI.
But AI has benefits, too. When used responsibly, AI becomes a management tool rather than a replacement. It can tailor lessons to students’ learning styles to help them learn better, give students immediate feedback on their work and perform administrative tasks for teachers so they can spend more time working with students.
Schools in and around Columbus
AI policies are becoming more accepted and common in schools all across the state.
Ohio’s 2025 state budget requires K-12 schools to adopt AI policies by July 2026, though it does not require districts to incorporate AI into curriculum. By the end of 2025, the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce is expected to create a model policy from which districts can draw inspiration.
OSU’s policy is to prohibit students from using AI unless explicitly permitted by instructors. That said, the university has introduced new lessons teaching AI basics, which will be part of the required Launch Seminar course and first-year Success Series workshops for freshmen.
At the district level, Dublin City Schools has established an AI policy that designates AI and Natural Language Processing as tools used to supplement, not replace, traditional learning methods.
Elise Conrad is an editorial assistant at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
