Artificial Intelligence
Understanding Our Approach to Artificial Intelligence
Protecting privacy, supporting educators and
keeping people at the center of learning
Artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly common in education, the workplace and everyday life. It also raises important questions about privacy, accuracy, bias, academic integrity and the appropriate role of technology in schools. We share those concerns. Our responsibility is to prepare students for the world they will enter while protecting student information, supporting authentic learning and preserving the essential role of teachers. That is why our District is taking a careful, educator-focused approach to artificial intelligence.
What Families Should Know
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Our initial ChatGPT implementation provides access to teachers, staff and administrators—not student ChatGPT accounts.
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Implementation begins with technology staff, with broader employee access currently anticipated in December 2026 or January 2027.
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The agreement does not provide OpenAI access to District student information systems, schedules or student location data.
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Information shared within the District's workspace is not used to train OpenAI's models.
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AI-generated information must be reviewed and verified. Decisions about students remain with qualified educators and staff.
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Our expectations for privacy, academic integrity, student conduct and responsible technology use apply to AI just as they do to other technologies.
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Our practices will continue to develop as the technology, educational research and professional guidance evolve. We will listen to educators and families, examine how AI affects teaching and learning, and adjust our approach when needed.
What AI Is and Isn't
Success will not be measured by how often AI is used. It will be measured by whether its use is safe, transparent and educationally sound—and whether it helps educators provide excellent teaching while preserving authentic student learning. Technology will continue to change. Our responsibility will not: protect student information, uphold academic integrity and prepare every student for success in college, career, citizenship and life.
Brainstorm instructional ideas · Develop discussion questions · Adapt materials · Create examples · Support lesson planning · Assist with routine administrative work
Teacher judgment · Relationships with students · Fact-checking · Student thinking · Professional responsibility · District privacy requirements
Now — Preparation
Technology staff begin exploring the District environment. Expectations, privacy requirements and professional-use guidelines are developed.
Fall 2026 — Training & Readiness
Training and resources are developed for educators and staff, including appropriate use, privacy, accuracy and professional responsibility.
December 2026–January 2027 — Phased Employee Access
Teachers, staff and administrators begin gaining access to the District's managed AI environment.
Ongoing — Evaluate & Adjust
The District reviews how AI is being used, listens to educators and families, evaluates educational value and updates practices as technology changes.
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Brainstorm instructional ideas · Develop discussion questions · Adapt materials · Create examples · Support lesson planning · Assist with routine administrative work
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Teacher judgment · Relationships with students · Fact-checking · Student thinking · Professional responsibility · District privacy requirements
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Now — Preparation
Technology staff begin exploring the District environment. Expectations, privacy requirements and professional-use guidelines are developed.Fall 2026 — Training & Readiness
Training and resources are developed for educators and staff, including appropriate use, privacy, accuracy and professional responsibility.December 2026–January 2027 — Phased Employee Access
Teachers, staff and administrators begin gaining access to the District's managed AI environment.Ongoing — Evaluate & Adjust
The District reviews how AI is being used, listens to educators and families, evaluates educational value and updates practices as technology changes.
Preserving Academic Integrity
Artificial intelligence requires our schools to think carefully about academic integrity and what constitutes a student’s own work. However, the arrival of a new technology does not change our District’s fundamental expectations for honesty, appropriate conduct and authentic learning.
Boise School District has intentionally not created a separate AI-specific policy. Cheating, plagiarism, copying and other inappropriate uses of AI are already addressed through existing District policies governing student conduct and technology use. A policy written for one particular technology could also become outdated quickly as AI tools continue to evolve.
Instead, our District applies its established expectations to the way a tool is used. Using AI to complete work that a student is expected to do independently, submitting AI-generated content as one’s own or using technology in a way that violates a teacher’s directions may be treated in the same manner as other forms of cheating or inappropriate technology use.
At the classroom level, our teachers remain responsible for explaining whether and how AI may be used for a particular assignment. Depending on the learning objective, a teacher may prohibit its use, permit it for a limited purpose or require students to disclose how it was used.
The goal is to keep learning – not simply completing an assignment, at the center. Our students should be able to explain their thinking, demonstrate their understanding and take responsibility for the work they submit.