Santa Fe teachers experiment with AI as district delays formal policy
Santa Fe Public Schools bought Chat for Schools in September 2024 but has not adopted a formal policy governing how teachers and students use the tool. Instead, the district is developing ongoing "guidance" through monthly meetings with teachers, leaving classrooms to operate with wide latitude on artificial intelligence.
The absence of clear rules has created what one administrator called "pockets of experimentation" across the district. In some classrooms, AI writes songs and sings them to students. In others, it helps students research assignments. Down the hall, a different teacher may restrict AI use entirely.
Aaron Girdner, a business teacher at Capital High School, introduced Chat for Schools to his students with blunt warnings. "There is great potential to make us dumber," he told them. "And sometimes it outright lies to you." He then assigned them to use the tool to learn about China's role in global production.
Why no policy yet?
The school board has deliberately stepped back from writing official policy. Katy Grunewald, the district's digital learning innovation coordinator, told teachers at a recent meeting that "at this point, the board has not mentioned any interest in writing official policy."
Grunewald and a working group of teachers plan to assess which tools succeed or fail before the coming school year, then bring recommendations to district leaders.
Scott Robbins, a Capital High teacher, questioned the delay. He compared it to how the district handles cellphones - some teachers encourage them for classwork while others threaten to confiscate them. A policy exists, but enforcement varies by classroom.
Grunewald described the monthly disagreements among teachers as healthy for crafting guidance on a new technology. Teachers' responses range from enthusiasm to skepticism. Zelda Sanchez, a digital learning coach, said discussions bring "the gamut" of reactions: "You have those that are like, 'Yes, I know how. Let me just do it.' And others that are like, 'It's the devil. It's so scary.'"
What tools are in use
The district has restricted access to ChatGPT, steering students to Chat for Schools instead. That tool functions like a standard chatbot but includes teacher controls and logs of student prompts.
Brisk, another contracted platform, helps teachers develop lesson plans. Aaron Girdner said using Brisk alongside other AI tools cut his planning time from four to five hours down to 45 minutes, freeing him to restructure lessons rather than handle routine tasks.
But Brisk has limitations. The tool recommends that teachers upload students' Individualized Education Programs to improve its output. Grunewald flagged this as a risk: those IEPs contain personal information protected under federal law. "That's a high-risk use that we do not encourage," she said.
Data privacy concerns
Data protection remains a broader concern. District contracts with companies like Google restrict data collection on Santa Fe students. Grunewald said the district is also considering whether to restrict teachers' use of third-party tools like ChatGPT, a decision to be revisited this summer.
The state-mandated reading assessment tool Amira has drawn criticism from teachers and lawmakers. The tool struggles to understand students with accents or speech differences. New Mexico requires K-2 students in traditional public schools and charter schools to take reading assessments using the AI-powered tool.
Sanchez, who has used Amira in her own teaching, reported mostly positive experiences. She described showing families their children's progress between first and last assessments: "You go to their last Amira, and you can just hear the growth, like 'Oh, my goodness. Look how they've grown.'"
What students think
Students in Girdner's and Joshua Cantrell's astronomy classes expressed a pragmatic view of AI tools. They found them useful for specific questions but saw clear limits.
Damien Garcia, 15, said AI is helpful when work is difficult. But he worried about overreliance. "I feel like you're giving it too much power when you're just, like, letting it speak for you instead of you being original and using your creativity," he said. Garcia plans to become a lawyer and rejected the idea that AI would replace his profession.
Sara Villa, 15, uses AI to ask hyperspecific questions she couldn't easily find answers to online. She expressed concern about environmental costs. "Sometimes when I use it, I do feel guilty," she said.
Angel Lopez, 17, appreciated AI for answering specific questions but objected to certain uses. He recalled disliking an assignment two years ago in Spanish class that asked students to compare poems written by AI. "Poetry is more human," he said. "I feel like it's better if we do it."
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