MSAD 60 Staff and Student Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence Administrative Guidelines

Purpose

Maine School Administrative District 60 (“MSAD 60”) recognizes that Generative Artificial Intelligence (“GAI”) can create efficiencies for certain Staff positions, enhance instructional methods for teachers and other classroom Staff, and improve learning outcomes for students. However, we also acknowledge the potential for GAI to be used in ways that contradict MSAD 60’s mission and values. Consequently, these guidelines aim to assist MSAD 60’s Staff and students in using GAI specifically, as a constructive tool to enhance critical thinking and academic and job performance.

Throughout these guidelines, GAI refers to novel technology that can produce original content (such as images, text, audio, and other media) based on patterns and data that the technology has been trained on. A non-exhaustive list of GAI examples include: ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini, Adobe Firefly, DALL-E, MidJourney, Jasper, and Stable Diffusion. Examples are current as of May 2024.

Any use of GAI must be done responsibly and align with MSAD 60’s ethical standards, legal obligations, School Board policies and procedures, and guidelines/rules, as well as the terms of the GAI tool, platform, or service being used, and staff and student handbooks.

Scope

These guidelines apply to Staff and student use of GAI technology for school-related purposes and establish rules for the acceptable use of GAI within MSAD 60. These guidelines address only the use of GAI technology by asking or “prompting” the technology to find answers to questions or to create or edit written or other content. They do not apply to GAI components that are built into the software that MSAD 60 maintains or already licenses. Use of such software is governed by our existing policies and procedures and our agreements with software vendors.

Staff Guidelines

These guidelines apply to all staff and volunteers (together “Staff” for purposes of these guidelines) who utilize GAI technology while working for MSAD 60. Staff are required to undergo professional development before integrating GAI into their work and/or teaching practices. This training must cover GAI's capabilities, limitations, and ethical/legal considerations. This professional development will be ongoing to ensure staff stay informed about new trends and developments. All Staff use of GAI tools, platforms, and/or services must comply with school policies, procedures, guidelines, and rules, the terms of use/service of such tools, platforms, and/or services, and applicable laws.

1. Protecting Confidential Information: Any use of GAI technology must always preserve the confidentiality and security of student, Staff, and confidential MSAD 60 information. Staff must protect identifiable student data, any other personally identifiable information (such as confidential personnel information), and any information that MSAD 60 has an obligation to keep confidential (such as confidential vendor information) (“Sensitive Information”). Sensitive Information should not be input into any GAI tools, platforms, or services, unless expressly permitted by these guidelines or authorized by the Technology Director. If there is any uncertainty about what constitutes Sensitive Information, Staff should consult with the Technology Director. If any Sensitive Information is accidentally shared, Staff should immediately report this to the Technology Director.

2. Teaching Skills Cannot be Substituted: GAI should be used as a tool to enhance teaching and other school services, streamline internal processes, and improve efficiency, rather than as a replacement for professional judgment, analysis, and/or legal expertise. GAI is not, and should never be used as, a substitute for an employee’s professional skills, personal interactions, and pedagogical insights. GAI may be used to assist in lesson planning, provide supplementary materials, and offer new perspectives on teaching content, but the core of education remains in human interaction and personalized instruction.

3. Use of GAI Materials: Content created with GAI technology that Staff wish to use in outward-facing communications, marketing, social media, or other public work must not infringe any third-party copyright or other rights. Staff are responsible for assessing this for each individual use.

4. Student Data Privacy Agreements (DPAs): Staff must ensure that any GAI tools, platforms, or services used in the classroom and/or where Staff and/or students (at the direction of Staff) are sharing personally identifiable information with the GAI have a Data Privacy Agreement (DPA) in place with the company providing the GAI tool, platform, or service. Staff should verify the existence and adequacy of DPAs before using any new GAI tool. Any concerns or questions regarding DPAs should be directed to the Director of Technology.

5. Attribution: When using GAI to generate content for work-related uses, Staff must attribute the GAI tool, platform, or service appropriately, and in accordance with any attribution requirements imposed by the GAI tool, platform, or service. This includes clearly indicating that the content was produced with the assistance of GAI. Proper attribution helps maintain transparency and uphold academic integrity.

6. Ethical Use and Bias Awareness: Staff should be aware of the potential biases in GAI-generated content. They are expected to critically evaluate GAI outputs and ensure that any content used is accurate, unbiased, and appropriate for educational/work purposes. Staff should also educate students about the limitations and ethical considerations of using GAI tools, platforms, or services, when/where appropriate.

7. Monitoring and Reporting: Staff should report any issues, misuse, or malfunctions of GAI technologies to their supervisor or the Director of Technology.

GAI should be viewed as an evolving tool, not an infallible source. Staff are expected to use their expertise and training to critically evaluate GAI outputs, question assumptions, and foster their own creative thinking skills. The use of GAI must serve a specific purpose and, as applicable, enhance students' learning experiences. GAI is meant to complement and support Staff roles, not replace them. If Staff are unsure about the appropriate work-related use of GAI, they should consult their supervisor, digital learning specialist, curriculum leader, or librarian, as applicable.

Student Guidelines

As GAI technology becomes more prevalent in educational settings, the MSAD 60 believes it is important for students to have the opportunity to understand how to use these tools responsibly and ethically. The following guidelines are intended to help students integrate GAI into their learning processes. These guidelines aim to enhance education and maintain academic integrity, whether students choose to use GAI voluntarily or are required to do so as part of a class or other educational program. By adhering to these rules, students will ensure that GAI serves as a valuable aid in their studies without replacing their own efforts or compromising the principles of honesty and originality in their work. MSAD 60 will not require students to use any GAI tools, platforms, or services that require students to have an account without a DPA with the company. A DPA ensures that the company will only use student information to which it has access in accordance with the law.

GAI is not limited to creating essays or research papers. It can also generate art, compose music, solve math problems, brainstorm ideas, provide feedback on student work, create quizzes, and more. Given its wide range of applications, MSAD 60 recognizes the challenge in providing a one-size-fits-all approach to GAI use.

These guidelines apply to all student use of GAI tools, platforms, and/or services for school-related purposes.

1. Not a Replacement for Student Learning: GAI tools, platforms, and services should be used as a tool to aid learning and should not replace traditional learning methods. The use of GAI must not hinder the development of critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, effective communication, or other essential skills. When permitted to utilize GAI, students are expected to still engage actively with the material and not rely solely on GAI for their assignments and studies.

2. No Plagiarism or Cheating: Students must adhere to MSAD 60 plagiarism and academic cheating and computer/internet use policies. The use of  GAI to produce content that violates school policies, promotes academic dishonesty, violates the law, or constitutes plagiarism is strictly prohibited. Students must ensure that any work submitted is their own and appropriately cite or credit GAI contributions when permitted to use GAI in/for their work. All student use of GAI tools, platforms, and services must comply with all school policies, rules, guidelines, GAI tool, platform, or service terms of use/service, and applicable laws.

3. Acknowledgement of GAI Use: Student work may be subject to the use of GAI detectors. Staff may use tools to verify the originality of student work and to detect AI-generated content.  Staff should note that GAI detectors are not always accurate and can be biased toward language learners.

4. Teacher Permission: Students must obtain teacher permission before using GAI to complete academic assignments. This ensures that the use of GAI is appropriate for the assignment and aligns with the learning objectives.

5. Critical Evaluation: Students are expected to critically evaluate all work. GAI tools, platforms, and services, such as ChatGPT, are not always accurate and may generate convincing but false information. Each student is responsible for all work generated by GAI, including errors. GAI should never be the sole source of information, but should complement other learning methods.

The use of GAI for non-school-related purposes is a family and student decision.

Professional Development and Education

MSAD 60 staff will receive professional development during the 2024-25 school year on how to use GAI effectively for planning and preparation.

Students will receive age-appropriate education on GAI, covering what it is, how it works, its limitations, reliability, vetting, citations, and ethical use.

Generative AI in the Future

MSAD 60 is committed to the ethical and productive use of GAI as a tool to help students learn while in MSAD 60 and to prepare them for their post-high school lives.

Cross References:

IJNDB : STUDENT COMPUTER AND INTERNET USE POLICY

IJNDB-R : STUDENT COMPUTER AND INTERNET USE RULES

OFFICIAL NHS Student/Athletic Handbook 2022-2023

        (See Plagiarism/Academic Cheating)

NMS Student Handbook 2023-24

        (See Academic Dishonesty)

Adopted: 09/25/24

Updated: 09/25/24