Hollidaysburg Area School District unveils policy on AI use

District seeks to take charge over emerging tech in schools

HOLLIDAYSBURG -- The Hollidaysburg Area School District is taking charge over the increasing use of artificial intelligence software in its schools, unveiling a new district policy governing staff and student use of the emerging technology during a Wednesday night meeting.

AI is a rapidly developing industry with implications in the fields of manufacturing, medicine and education, where its use has become a cause for concern for some teachers over its role in academic integrity violations.

Some generative AI programs -- that create images or written statements in response to user-submitted prompts -- can be used to complete assignments such as essays or solve complex equations, allowing students to bypass work requirements.

Policy 815.4 Artificial Intelligence was read for the first time during a school board meeting on Wednesday evening, putting it on track for final approval and adoption in September.

Policy details

According to the new policy, the board hopes to ensure "ethical, responsible and effective use of AI technologies in the district" while providing clear guidelines and procedures for both staff and student use.

Students of all grade levels will receive age-appropriate instruction on the proper use of AI tools, according to the policy, with a focus on the necessity of human supervision, critical thinking and skepticism about output accuracy.

The policy specifies that all district AI use "shall be limited to approved educational purposes," and will comply with all relevant state and federal laws including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The centerpiece of the new policy is a five-step assessment system that dictates work given both in and out of the classroom must receive a rating of zero to four for the acceptable amount of AI use on said assignment, with increased citation requirements for higher ratings.

AI can "pose challenges to traditional standards of academic integrity," so the zero to four rubric is designed to maintain integrity in teaching and learning, according to the policy.

An assignment with a zero rating must be "completed independently without the assistance of AI," and does not require student disclosure or citation.

A four rating indicating "AI may be used throughout the assignment. The student is responsible for providing human oversight and evaluating the AI-generated content," means the student must fully disclose their use of AI, according to the policy.

Students failing to comply with mandatory AI disclosures or using AI on assignments where it is not allowed are subject to discipline up to and including expulsion depending on the severity of the violation.

Per the policy, teachers must provide advance notice of the AI-use rating on each individual assignment or course.

The new policy also allows for staff to employ AI tools to be used in catching student AI use, but prohibits reliance on AI detection tools as the sole metric to assess academic integrity violations.

In a similar vein, the policy allows teachers to use AI tools to assist in grading student assignments, but stipulates that AI tools should not be the sole determining factor in calculating the final grade.

According to district Director of Technology Justin Arthur, "I think a lot of education is dipping their toes in to see when, where and how much (AI use) is appropriate, and that's really going to depend on the learning objectives of that particular subject."

Arthur said he did not have an estimate for how regularly AI will be incorporated into students' daily work once the new policy is officially adopted.

"Some subjects may lend itself to (AI) more than others, but the policy here is really letting teachers determine that on an assignment-by-assignment basis," he said.

The policy also allows for AI tools to "assist in the (human resources) process" as long as all other district rules are in place and that final decision-making regarding hiring, firing and promotion decisions is left to human oversight.

Mirror Staff Writer Conner Goetz is at 814-946-7535.