Festival of Education US 2026
Empowering Students to Use AI Ethically and Safely
Mara Simmons and Karen Amaya
Vista Charter Public Schools- California
The guardrails will not always be up.
Picture one student at 10 p.m., a phone in hand, and no teacher in the room.
Stand up
Where do your students stand?
THIS WALL
My students mostly use AI to skip the thinking
THAT WALL
My students mostly use AI to push their thinking
Empowering Students to Use AI Ethically and Safely · Festival of Education US 2026
Feel it, frame it, build it
Feel it
Sit in the same council our students sit in. 15 min
Frame it
See the VCPS North Star and three lights. 5 min
Build it
Sort real dilemmas, then design for your students. 25 min
Empowering Students to Use AI Ethically and Safely · Festival of Education US 2026
We are at the beginning of this journey…
Full Disclosure
Council · 15 minutes
The four intentions
Listen from the heart
Speak from the heart
Be spontaneous
Be lean
Answer as yourself, not as a teacher.
Empowering Students to Use AI Ethically and Safely · Festival of Education S 202
Council · pass the piece to the left
Four rounds
Round | Prompt | Time |
Opening | In a word or phrase: one thing you use AI for by choice. | 2 min |
Round 2 | In a sentence: one fear you hold about AI. | 3 min |
Story | A moment AI truly helped you, caused a problem, or you almost used it and chose not to. What made the difference? | 8 min |
Closing | One word or phrase you heard that stays with you. | 2 min |
Empowering Students to Use AI Ethically and Safely · Festival of Education US 2026
Step out of the circle · 4 minutes
What did you hear in that circle that you would never hear in a survey?
The VCPS North Star
One question before any AI use
“Is AI doing the thinking this task exists to build?”
For students: “By using AI, do I steal my own opportunity to learn?”
Empowering Students to Use AI Ethically and Safely · Festival of Education US 2026
Frame it
The 3-second check
Thinking
Would AI do the exact thinking this task is meant to build in me?
Verification
Could I actually tell if AI got this wrong?
Ownership
Could I explain and defend this work right now, without AI in the room?
Empowering Students to Use AI Ethically and Safely · Festival of Education US 2026
A common language
Go, Ask First, Stop
Go
Brainstorming, practice, studying, and feedback on a draft you already wrote.
Ask First
Using AI on a specific assignment, once the teacher has said yes for that task and tool.
Stop
Turning in AI work as your own, or letting AI replace your drafts, solutions, or personal essays.
Empowering Students to Use AI Ethically and Safely · Festival of Education US 2026
One question, four grade bands
How it scales from TK to 12
TK–2
AI is a teacher tool only. Students build foundational skills themselves.
3–5
Teacher-modeled and supervised. Every AI output is fact-checked aloud.
6–8
Growing independence for brainstorming and feedback, never final drafts.
9–12
Independent use within teacher permissions, with disclosure and citation.
Empowering Students to Use AI Ethically and Safely · Festival of Education US 2026
Build it · 7 minutes
Scenario sort
Go
Ask First
Stop
We argued
Agree as a circle before you place a card. Can't agree? It goes on We argued. That pile is the most useful one.
Empowering Students to Use AI Ethically and Safely · Festival of Education US 2026
Build it · 8 minutes
Involve, Educate, Empower
Involve
How do students help write the rules they follow?
Educate
What do students need to understand about how AI works and what it costs?
Empower
What will students carry home when no adult is watching?
One chart per circle. Write your grade band at the top. Moves you could run next month.
Empowering Students to Use AI Ethically and Safely · Festival of Education US 2026
Closing round · 2 minutes
One word from today. One thing you will try with students.
We close together with a simultaneous clap.
Take it with you
Tools and the room's ideas
[QR code]
VCPS tools are drafts in development and shared for discussion.
Empowering Students to Use AI Ethically and Safely · Festival of Education US 2026
Thank you for playing today with AI and considering its role in learning and teaching…
Mara Simmons Karen Amaya
Director of Instruction Assistant Superintendent
msimmons@vistacharterps.org kamaya@vistacharterps.org