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Asst. Supt. Redd-Hannans: "We will not deploy AI directly to students until we have robust safeguards in place to prevent exposure to restricted content and protect against malicious actors."
The Board of Education voted Monday night to adopt a new artificial intelligence (AI) policy designed to help teachers and students use cutting-edge tech to generate classroom discussion questions, get feedback on assignments, and conduct research, but not plagiarize.
At the same time, New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) has begun to roll out the AI tools Gemini Pro and NotebookLM for administrators. The district won’t make these programs available for teachers until they’re trained in the new district policy, and it won’t make these programs available for students until a dedicated AI security and monitoring platform is in place.
The school board took that unanimous vote of support for the AI policy at its latest meeting, which was held Monday night at King/Robinson School and over Zoom.
NHPS Asst. Supt. Keisha Redd-Hannans presented a draft version of the AI policy — which focuses on AI use for instruction and in classrooms — earlier in August.
During a previous presentation, Redd-Hannans said the district policy comes as educators, administrators, and students are already making use of their own AI tools. She emphasized that the district’s use of the now-selected platforms Gemini Pro and NotebookLM should help with retaining teachers by providing additional instructional support, student toolkits, and operational efficiency.
She also emphasized that while AI use continues to grow and be embraced across all walks of life, NHPS’ policy and implementation plans will enforce that AI will“support but not substitute” teachers and critical thinking in schools.
Click here to read the full policy, which allows staff and students to use AI to review work, research, and brainstorm for classroom projects and discussion while always citing use of AI. The policy prohibits plagiarism or using AI tools as substitutes for completing assignments.
In an email statement sent to the Independent on Tuesday, Redd-Hannans and city Chief Technology Officer Michael Simeone said that the city and school district worked together to select Gemini Pro and NotebookLM as the vetted AI platform for staff and students to use.
The system will first be made accessible only to NHPS administrators.
“These advanced tools will enhance efficiency in curriculum planning, policy review, and day-to-day operations, while allowing staff to streamline processes and focus more on supporting teachers and students,” Redd-Hannans and Simeone said. “These tools are designed to help staff work smarter, communicate more clearly, and make data-informed decisions that benefit the entire school community.”
They said that the district’s AI committee will meet to discuss a professional learning timeline for staff. That timeline will detail when these AI programs will be made available to staff. Once teachers are trained on the policy, they will be given access to the tools.
“The next major step will be selecting a dedicated AI security and monitoring platform,” Redd-Hannans and Simeone continued. “This system will be implemented before any AI tools are introduced to the student population.
“Our number one priority is protecting our students and staff. We will not deploy AI directly to students until we have robust safeguards in place to prevent exposure to restricted content and protect against malicious actors.”
Once a security and monitoring system is implemented, the AI tools will be introduced to the student population.
Redd-Hannans also told the Independent that the AI tools will be accessible through each person’s NHPS account. That means that, once they’re granted access, students and staff will be able to log into their NHPS accounts through an NHPS-provided Chromebook or a personal device to use the AI tools.
The set-up process for administrative access is currently underway.
Before passing the policy through a unanimous vote Monday, Board of Education member Ed Joyner asked that the district create school-by-school structures to evaluate and monitor the tools’ ethical usage. Fellow school board member Abie Benitez responded that an AI committee has been established per the policy guidelines, which will help the district oversee what’s working and what’s not next year.
The district's newly approved AI policy.