Parents in Louisville, Kentucky, are demanding answers after discovering that educational packets handed to middle schoolers on the first day of class were filled with obvious AI hallucinations. The materials, distributed at Farnsley Middle School, contained a map of North America riddled with misspelled state names, misplaced cities, and entirely fabricated territories.
Kentucky was mislabeled "Venecky," while Texas became "Taxas" and Louisiana "Lookoong." The botched map also renamed North Dakota "North Dahota," Arizona "Arizone," and New Mexico "New Mizone," with Oklahoma degraded to "Olkchoma." Even the states that kept their proper names were misplaced, with Cuba's capital city of Havana appearing in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. Some states, including Michigan and California, received no labels at all, while a mythical land called "Beehie" appeared south of "Venneouer."
"Arizona is Arizone. Illinois starts with a V," said Stacey Morris, a parent whose son brought home one of the packets. "I frugally crazy."
What went wrong in the school packet
Images shared on social media show the rest of the packet suffered from similar problems. A periodic table listed Magnesium with an atomic mass of -3.08, and a solar system diagram identified Mars as "Marc." One section reads: "Planetary distance are imperative earth, precious the quipen and reInstreeen they don't know how it is."
The Jefferson County Public Schools district confirmed that administrators spoke with the school about the inaccuracies in the agenda and that the school is communicating with parents. The school also instructed teachers to remove 17 pages of AI-generated content from the packet before distributing it to students.
For adults who can spot the errors, this looks like another case of AI hallucination. The real failure belongs to the educator who printed the packet without reviewing it - and then handed it to students who are just beginning to conceptualize the world beyond their own state.
Why this matters for educators
The Dakota issue is no laughing matter. Students in the US are already underperforming on standardized tests, and presenting them with obviously wrong educational material - whether from AI or any other source - sets tthem a step back. Teachers and administrators are responsible for ensuring that any tool they use, including AI, is checked for accuracy before it reaches students.
Teaching is a demanding job, and AI can save time. But preparing lesson materials will remain a teacher's job until AI can be trusted to write without making basic errors. For educators who want to use AI safely, it is not enough to download a generated document. Every page needs human review. That review is the difference between a useful classroom resource and a lesson that teaches a child that Kentucky is spelled "Venecky."
Your membership also unlocks:
