As the new school year begins, the Miami-Dade County school board approved a measure to set district-wide guidelines on how artificial intelligence can be used in K-12 classrooms.
The proposal approved at Tuesday’s board meeting instructs the district’s Committee of Academics, Innovation, Evaluation and Technology to create "comprehensive" guidelines for the ethical use of AI in classrooms, for both teachers and students.
Among those guides should be a so-called "tiered framework" to instruct how much of the tool — if any — students are allowed to use on assignments.
Miami-Dade County Public schools, the third largest district in the country, is undergoing one of the largest deployments of classroom AI tools with Gemini, Google’s AI chatbot.
“We need to move at the same speed as AI is moving in many ways,” board member Danny Espino said at the meeting. “So as these tools become more and more accessible to our students and our educators, we need to, as a district, provide clear expectations for their use within the classroom and even at home.”
The rulebook should also include an outline of consequences and disciplinary actions for misuse of AI. Additionally, the committee is directed to create resources for families about the district’s expectations for AI use and promoting its responsible use at home.
AI is key for career-readiness, educators say
A variety of industries have embraced AI for employees' daily use and company operations. As such, education leaders contend that welcoming AI into classrooms is key for ensuring students are prepared to join the workforce.
READ MORE: 'AI can be used for good': Broward public schools are set to 'embrace' artificial intelligence
“An AI tool is no longer the future, it is now,” Miami-Dade Superintendent Jose Dotres recently told WLRN. “So we have to be able to help our students utilize this tool to maximize learning in a way that deepens their understanding… and teach them that what you get from AI you have to make it yours.”
During Tuesday's meeting, Espino recounted hearing Florida Secretary of Commerce Alex Kelly explain that people who know how to use AI will have an edge over employees who don’t.
“AI is not going to take the jobs of those out there in the workforce,” Espino recalled Kelly saying. “It's employees who know how to use AI that are gonna be taking the jobs.”
The committee will report back to the school board on Oct. 1 with recommendations for the guidelines.
