Wake County Board of Education Opens AI Policy Talks, Balancing Personalized Learning and Academic Integrity

Wake County schools open AI policy talks: what educators can do now

The Wake County Board of Education held the first in a series of work sessions to shape a district AI policy. An Amazon Web Services team briefed the board, and district leaders said there is no adoption timeline yet.

WCPSS Superintendent Dr. Robert Taylor set the tone: "The one thing I wanted to make sure is that we didn't create a situation where we restrict something that is going to be a part of society, that our students are going to be responsible for learning that our teachers are going to be responsible for doing so."

Where AI can help

• Personalized learning plans and diagnostics to support differentiated instruction.
• Teacher workload relief: draft rubrics, generate exemplars, summarize student data, prepare accommodations.
• Accessibility: translation support, reading level adjustments, study guides.

Risks on the table

Board members raised clear concerns about responsible use, especially with student work and media.

"I think the biggest concern that everyone has is academic integrity and honesty, things that can be used with AI to give false narratives, false pictures," said Dr. Taylor.

• Academic integrity: uncredited AI work, fabricated sources, synthetic images.
• Misinformation: confident but incorrect outputs that look credible.
• Privacy: student data handling, vendor practices, compliance with FERPA.
• Equity: uneven access, uneven teacher preparedness.

What educators can implement now

• Set disclosure rules: if students use AI, require a brief statement of how it was used and include relevant chat excerpts.
• Define "AI-allowed" vs. "AI-free" tasks. Make it explicit on every assignment and rubric.
• Shift assessments: more in-class drafting, oral defenses, process artifacts, and version history checks.
• Teach verification: cross-check facts, source citations, bias spotting, and image provenance.
• Protect privacy: prefer district-managed accounts, avoid entering PII, and review vendor data policies.
• Engage parents: share class norms, model sample disclosures, and suggest household guidelines.

Teacher and staff readiness

Mikaya Thurmond, an AI expert and lecturer, was direct: "If anyone believes that students are not using AI to get to conclusions and to turn in homework, at this point, they're just not being honest about it." Her recommendations: provide teacher training, require students to credit AI when used, and have them show chat history to demonstrate critical thinking. She also supports a mix of AI-free and AI-integrated assignments once educators are comfortable.

• Prioritize PD that covers core AI concepts, classroom use cases, disclosure practices, and assessment redesign.
• Create quick-reference guides for staff and students (what's allowed, examples, and what to avoid).
• Stand up a small "AI lead teacher" cohort to test practices and share templates.

Draft policy building blocks

• Purpose and scope: how AI supports learning, teaching, and operations.
• Acceptable use: grade-band guidance, examples, and explicit "AI-free" scenarios.
• Academic integrity: disclosure rules, citation format, and consequences for misuse.
• Privacy and security: data minimization, vendor standards, and staff training.
• Accessibility and equity: ensure access, alternatives, and accommodations.
• Professional learning: ongoing training, coaching, and evaluation.
• Review cycle: pilot, evaluate, and update on a set cadence.

Pilot ideas for this semester

• Eighth-grade ELA: AI-assisted outlines allowed, final essays AI-free, with process artifacts required.
• Algebra I: AI for worked examples and error analysis; assessments feature oral checks.
• Social studies: AI for source comparison; students must verify facts and cite original sources.
• Special education: AI-generated leveled texts reviewed by teachers before use.

Parent partnership

Both the superintendent and Thurmond emphasized parents. Encourage families to discuss what is appropriate to ask AI systems, what should stay private, and how to use these tools for learning rather than shortcuts.

Helpful resources

• U.S. Department of Education: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Teaching and Learning
• Student Privacy (FERPA) - U.S. Department of Education

Upskill your team

• Complete AI Training: courses by job role - curated learning paths to help teachers, coaches, and administrators build practical AI skills.

Bottom line: AI is already in your classrooms. Set clear rules, teach responsible use, protect privacy, and start small pilots. Policy can follow practice-with evidence from real classrooms.