Central Florida schools looking to restrict artificial intelligence use by students

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – The School Board in Seminole County is set to sign off on the Code of Conduct and Honor Code for the 2024-2025 school year, and it includes consequences for students who submit Artificial Intelligence-generated work without credit or consent.

Submitting assignments or completing exams or tests with the use of AI will be prohibited unless explicitly permitted by the teacher. Also, the use of AI with permission must be cited within the assignment.

If students submit AI-generated work without following those guidelines, it will be considered plagiarism.

News 6 met with Shawn Gard-Harrold, the assistant superintendent for ePathways at SCPS, to discuss how the district is approaching AI technology.

[EXCLUSIVE: Become a News 6 Insider (it’s FREE) | PINIT! Share your photos]

“When we saw the evolution of ChatGPT coming about we immediately blocked it from the system. And so, students just turned on the hotspot on their phone and they started accessing ChatGPT from their hotspot,” said Gard-Harrold. “So, as soon as we started realizing trying to block this stuff is never going to be the answer, then we have to start having conversations with students about how do we lean into this?”

Gard-Harrold says the district recognizes how AI is being used in almost every industry, every single day.

“When I meet with healthcare professionals, when I meet with advanced manufacturing folks when I meet with folks from finance, AI is in all of those industries,” said Gard-Harrold. “And if our students don’t understand that it is going to impact whatever field they choose to enter, then they are going to be behind the times. So, it’s our job to make sure that they know how to use artificial intelligence when to use artificial intelligence, and then how to validate their source and also how to apply it in a way that is meaningful and also representative of their own values.”

Students in Seminole County are already studying Artificial Intelligence. There are two Career & Technical Education programs for artificial intelligence at Hagerty High School and Crooms Academy.

“We are not saying let’s hide from AI, let’s run from AI,” said Gard-Harrold. “We’re really working on helping our students and our teachers to understand we live in a world where AI is also going to live.”

As students, teachers, and districts work to find AI’s place in the classroom, there are questions about whether it will do more harm than good.

A survey conducted by Pew Research Center in fall 2023 found the majority of teachers are uncertain or concerned about the downsides of AI in K-12 education.

About a third (32%) said there is about an equal mix of benefit and harm. Only 6% said it does more good than harm, and 35% said they are not sure.

News 6 asked our school districts in Central Florida about how they are addressing the use of AI. You can read the responses we received below.

Brevard County

District leaders at the Brevard County School District say they are currently gathering information from stakeholders on the use of AI in schools, the concerns that using AI represents, and the benefits that may come with it. They will consider the responses they have received and the information they gather as they consider any policy or code of conduct changes that need to be made.

Marion County

Marion County Public Schools approved a student progression plan on June 11 which states:

Willful or deliberate unauthorized use of the work of another person for academic purposes and/or inappropriate use of notes/materials in the completion of an academic assignment or test and/or inappropriately providing information is not permitted. This includes the submission of any work produced by artificial intelligence in the place of original student work.

Marion County Public Schools policy

Orange County

Access to AI is blocked for all students on the school network. Staff regularly monitors district devices for unauthorized programs or usage and responds accordingly. The Code of Student Conduct addresses cheating and the consequences that are in place for any violation.

Osceola County

Students’ Responsible Use of AI

A. When using AI programs, students need to be aware that they may be sharing personal data with AI bots. Further, information they upload may also affect their own privacy and their peers’ privacy.

B. AI programs can have implicit bias and may even present incorrect information. Students should acknowledge that AI is not always factually accurate or a credible source, and students should be able to provide evidence from official sources to support any AI claims. All users must also be aware of the potential for bias and discrimination in AI tools and applications.

C. If a student is using an AI tool or application, then the student must think critically and be sure to fact-check using primary sources.

D. Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), and Dual Enrollment (DE) college and university courses may have additional restrictions and limitations regarding the use of AI tools and applications

E. Academic integrity means that if the student uses AI in any capacity, then the student must acknowledge the use of AI related to their schoolwork, including, but not limited to, attributing AI text, image, multimedia, etc., when using these items in schoolwork and assignments. The use of AI shall also be subject to other School District policies (e.g., Code of Student Conduct) where applicable.

F. Students may not use AI tools or applications to avoid doing their own original work.

G. Students may not use AI tools or applications when the student’s assigned teacher has expressly forbidden such use.

H. Student access to certain websites using AI may be granted, however privacy guidelines and age restrictions must be considered prior to allowing such use

I. Any misuse of AI tools and applications, such as hacking or altering data, is strictly prohibited.

J. Students using AI software with a personal device and/ or personal credentials should be aware that the AI platforms to which they are uploading information collect various forms of data that may affect their own privacy and their peers’ privacy.

Osceola County Schools policy