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Guiding Principles for Artificial Intelligence

 
Fenton High School District 100 sees Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a tool to enhance learning and support the cultivation of successful, passionate, and empowered learners. We are committed to the thoughtful and ethical integration of AI, ensuring it provides relevant opportunities that augment, rather than replace, the human-centered relationships and rigorous inquiry at the heart of our mission.
 

Our Core Beliefs

Our approach is a shared commitment guided by these beliefs:
  • Humans in the Lead: AI is a tool to assist educators and students, not replace them. We champion innovative teaching and promote processes that place the human at the center and place the responsibility for accuracy and appropriateness on the user.
  • Safety & Privacy First: Protecting student data in a safe, caring digital environment is our priority. All AI tools must be rigorously vetted to ensure full compliance with the Student Online Personal Protection Act (SOPPA), the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), and the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA).
  • Equity & Access: Reflecting our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, we will ensure all students have equitable access to AI tools. This technology will be used to support diverse learning needs and personalize pathways, serving all learners equitably.
  • Ethical & Responsible Use: As an extension of digital citizenship, we will model and teach the skills needed for civic responsibility. This includes academic integrity and the critical literacy to evaluate AI for accuracy and bias, connecting this learning to authentic life experiences.
 

Guidelines in Practice

To put these beliefs into practice, Fenton High School, in collaboration with teachers and staff, has developed guidelines for student and staff usage. These guidelines, available to our community, frame the appropriate and ethical use of AI in our classrooms.
 
Our commitment to safety is grounded in our data privacy policies (such as Board Policies 6:235 and 7:345). No AI tool will be approved for student use without a signed SOPPA agreement. Staff and students are prohibited from sharing personally identifiable information (PII) with unapproved AI tools to ensure compliance with district policy and state and federal privacy laws.
As this landscape evolves, we remain a community of continuous learners. We recognize the evolving nature of AI and the need to routinely reevaluate our practices. Believing that school and home collaborate as one, we will partner with staff, students, and families to navigate these new tools with wisdom, safety, and a shared purpose.
 
 

 

Staff: Responsible Use Guidelines

 

Protect Personal Information

  • Compliance with state and federal privacy laws is required. Staff must never input personally identifiable information (PII) into AI tools, including student, parent, faculty, or staff names, ID numbers, birthdates, photos, videos, audio, addresses, phone numbers, or other identifying details.
  • Even when using approved tools, staff should practice data minimization. Use generic identifiers such as “Student A” or “the learner” whenever possible.
  • Do not paste sensitive communications, such as parent emails, counseling notes, or IEP meeting notes, into AI tools for summarization or analysis.
  • Do not upload substantial portions of copyrighted educational materials, such as entire textbook chapters, paid worksheets, or licensed assessment banks, into AI tools unless you have permission to do so.
  • Staff should also be cautious about how AI-generated materials are used, shared, and attributed. Because legal protections for AI-generated content depend on the degree of human authorship, staff should consult district guidance before treating AI output as original proprietary work.
 

Review Work Before Sharing

  • AI tools may generate inaccurate or fabricated information. Staff must verify dates, historical facts, mathematical solutions, citations, and any other factual claims against reliable sources before sharing materials with students.
  • AI models can also reproduce stereotypes or bias present in training data. Review all generated content, especially stories, word problems, examples, and scenarios, to ensure they are inclusive, culturally responsive, and free from harmful generalizations.
  • AI-generated text often needs revision for age level, tone, clarity, and instructional purpose. Edit output so that vocabulary, complexity, and format align with the grade level, learning target, and student needs.
 

Follow District Policies

  • All AI use on district devices or networks must comply with Fenton Board Policy 6:235, Access to Electronic Networks, and with the same standards of conduct applied to email, internet browsing, and social media.
  • AI tools must not be used to generate content that harasses, discriminates against, or demeans students, staff, or community members.
  • If a student’s interaction with an AI tool reveals concerning information related to self-harm, violence, abuse, or other safety concerns, staff must follow standard district protocols for immediate intervention and reporting.
  • Only district-approved AI tools may be used with students for instructional purposes. Approved tools are identified through the district’s current SOPPA review process and district technology guidance.
  • AI may not be used to record conversations without the disclosure and consent of all parties involved.
 

Uphold Academic Honesty

  • Staff should model the same transparency expected of students. If AI is used to generate a significant portion of a lesson resource, image, newsletter, or other instructional material, that use should be acknowledged where appropriate.
  • Educators remain the final authors of the materials they use. Staff are fully responsible for the accuracy, appropriateness, and educational value of any AI-assisted content.
  • All AI-generated assessment questions, reading passages, examples, and classroom materials should be reviewed for accuracy, bias, and alignment to instructional goals before use.
  • Staff should be prepared to explain to parents how AI is being used to support student learning.
 

Classroom Use of AI

Fenton High School District 100 uses a simple green, yellow, and red framework to guide classroom AI use.
  • Green Light: Collaboration Permitted
    AI may be used independently for brainstorming, research support, writing code, or creating study tools when permitted by the teacher. Students should understand the purpose of the tool, review its output critically, and cite the AI tool when required by the assignment.
  • Yellow Light: Teacher-Directed Use
    AI may be used only when directed by a teacher for specific tasks, such as gathering information, organizing ideas, or comparing multiple perspectives. Students must critically review outputs and cite the AI tool when required.
  • Red Light: Prohibited Use
    AI is not permitted for assessments designed to measure individual understanding. Submitting AI-generated work as original thinking is academic dishonesty. 
 

Students: Responsible Use Guidelines

 

Permitted Use and Disclosure

  • Students may use AI tools only when explicitly authorized by their teacher for a specific assignment.
  • Unless an assignment is clearly designated as Yellow Light or Green Light, students should assume AI use is not permitted.
  • If students use AI to brainstorm, outline, revise, translate, or debug code, they must disclose that use according to the teacher’s citation or attribution directions.
 

Academic Integrity and Originality

  • Submitting AI-generated text, images, code, or other work as one’s own original work is a violation of the Academic Integrity Policy.
  • Students are responsible for the accuracy, quality, and appropriateness of their final work. “The AI said it” is not an acceptable explanation for factual errors, biased content, or unsupported claims.
 

Data Privacy and Safety

  • Students should protect their own privacy and the privacy of others by never entering personally identifiable information such as home addresses, phone numbers, passwords, ID numbers, or other sensitive information into an AI prompt.
  • Students may not use AI to create content that mimics, harasses, impersonates, or misrepresents peers, staff, or other members of the school community, including deepfakes or non-consensual images or audio.
  • Students may not use AI to record conversations without the disclosure and consent of all parties involved.
 

Verification and Fact-Checking

AI can produce inaccurate or biased information. Students are expected to:
  • Verify AI-generated claims using library databases, textbooks, or other reliable sources.
  • Evaluate whether the output reflects cultural, racial, gender, or social bias.
  • Revise AI-generated work so it meets the expectations of the assignment and the standards of academic honesty.
 

Classroom Signage and Student Contract

This pledge was written by a committee of Fenton educators and students in March 2026.
“If we use AI, we must:”
  • Protect privacy. Never put personal information into AI tools, including your own or anyone else’s full name, birthdate, address, ID numbers, images, video, audio, or passwords.
  • Use AI to learn. Use AI to practice and extend learning, not to avoid thinking or skip the learning process.
  • Verify our work. We are responsible for errors. AI makes mistakes and can hallucinate, so we must check facts using reliable, verifiable sources.
  • Attribute our work. We must be honest when using AI and cite AI use according to the Fenton AI citation template.
 
 
 

Sources

  • TeachAI, “AI Early Adopter Database.”
  • District 211, “District 211 Guidelines for Student Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).”
  • U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Technology, Artificial Intelligence and Future of Teaching and Learning: Insights and Recommendations (2023).
  • TeachAI, “Sample Guidance: AI Guidance for Schools Toolkit.”
  • Fenton Community High School District 100 Board Policies 6:235 and 7:345.