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Artificial intelligence is no longer a distant concept; it’s already reshaping how schools operate. Tools like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and a wave of AI-powered apps are showing up across K–12 classrooms, raising big questions for administrators and educators alike.
AI brings enormous potential. It can support differentiated instruction, reduce teacher workload, and help schools identify student needs earlier than ever before. But it also brings risk. Misuse, misinformation, privacy concerns, and academic dishonesty are real and growing issues.
That’s why the central question facing schools today isn’t whether AI belongs in education. It’s how we can support innovation while protecting student safety, preserving academic integrity, and ensuring equitable access for all learners.
The Risks of Unregulated AI Use in Schools
Many school districts are still navigating the early stages of AI adoption. The challenges AI use introduces are causing some to default to restricting access entirely. Nearly one-quarter (23%) of Securly’s partner districts are blocking access to all AI tools, often with no formal policies in place to guide their use. These decisions don’t just reflect the uncertainties surrounding responsible AI use in education, they shine a light on the urgent need for more intentional strategies.
Lack of AI Use Policies in Schools
With AI tools evolving faster than school policies can keep up, many districts have taken a precautionary approach by blocking AI platforms like ChatGPT or Gemini entirely. But these blanket bans leave both students and teachers without the guidance they need to learn how to use AI responsibly.
Academic Integrity & Learning Concerns
In the absence of clear expectations and guidelines, students are instead left to their own devices. Instead of learning responsible ways to use AI, they’re using it as a shortcut instead. From essays generated by chatbots to AI-provided test answers, students are already using AI – or, more accurately, misusing it – whether schools expressly prohibit its use or not.
AI Abuse & Student Safety Threats
In some cases, AI misuse treads into the waters of abuse. Students have used AI to generate deepfake images and other harmful content that targets their peers, as well as their teachers. These incidents go beyond academic concerns and highlight the risks to safety, wellbeing, and school climate when clear guidance and guardrails around AI use aren’t defined.
Data Privacy & Ethical AI Use
Beyond the use of AI by students and teachers, districts must also be concerned about the privacy and security practices of edtech vendors. Without clear standards for and vetting of AI edtech tools, districts increase their vulnerability to student data privacy violations and may inadvertently expose their students to bias. Districts need clarity about how student information is being used and protected, and what measures vendors are taking to mitigate bias.
How Can Schools Introduce Responsible AI Use?
AI is already embedded in many aspects of K-12 education, from tutoring apps and writing assistants to wellness monitoring and administrative tools. Rather than succumbing to analysis paralysis (or throwing caution to the wind), districts can find a middle ground by adopting a thoughtful, phased approach.
The guidance below reflects best practices from leading organizations including the U.S. Department of Education, Common Sense Media, ISTE, and TeachAI. It offers an evidence-based foundation for school leaders looking to introduce AI safely and responsibly.
Start with Clear, Inclusive Policies
Strong AI implementation begins with clear and well-defined policies. When developing policies:
- Define acceptable vs. prohibited uses for both staff and students.
- Collaborate with educators, IT leaders, student services, and families to shape policy.
- Address how AI will be used in instruction, assessment, operations, and student support.
- Be transparent (and require transparency) about how AI tools collect and use student data.
- Identify when AI is involved in decision-making about students, and ensure that process is clearly communicated.
Equip Educators with AI Literacy & Pedagogical Support
Teachers are often the first to encounter AI in classrooms, yet many have had little exposure to the tools or their implications. To address this disparity:
- Offer personal development opportunities that blend AI literacy with instructional relevance.
- Support controlled experimentation through pilot programs and ethical sandbox environments.
- Provide resources to help educators identify misuse and respond with appropriate interventions.
Support Equity & Student Agency
AI can amplify inequities if not implemented with care. To avoid this:
- Ask vendors how their tools are trained, what data sets they use, and what safeguards are in place to prevent bias.
- Prioritize tools with built-in accessibility features that support all learners.
- Integrate digital citizenship and media literacy curriculum that includes AI ethics, authorship, and misinformation.
- Educate both teachers and students on how AI works and how to question it, so they become informed users, not passive consumers.
Align AI Implementation with Broader Educational Values
Technology should never replace the human relationships that fuel learning. AI adoption should:
- Support, not substitute, the teacher-student connection.
- Free educators from administrative tasks so they can focus more on instruction and mentorship.
- Be evaluated not just by efficiency, but by its contribution to better student outcomes and experiences.
“We should take the lessons we learned from other technology movements—Web 1.0, Cloud, social media—to ensure we roll out AI with student safety and wellness in mind from the beginning, not as an afterthought.”
Tammy Wincup, CEO
4 Ways Securly Brings Safer, Smarter AI to Schools
Securly is committed to helping districts embrace responsible AI use. Our solutions are built for K-12 education, designed with student safety, privacy, and equity in mind. Here are four ways we help schools chart a safer, smarter path forward.
1 | Introduce AI in a Controlled Way
AI Chat for Securly Filter gives schools a safe and policy-managed way to introduce generative AI. With AI Chat, schools can create detailed, Filter-style policies to govern how students interact with AI, including:
- Control which topics are accessible
- Customize how the chatbot responds
- Align AI behavior with your curriculum
- Maintain full visibility of chat logs and sessions summaries
This control and visibility helps schools maintain academic integrity, identify training needs and educational opportunities, and make informed decisions about AI policies based on actual usage.
2 | Monitor AI Use Across Platforms
Securly gives districts and schools oversight of student AI use across Google Gemini, ChatGPT, and other AI platforms. Districts can filter student prompts, track usage, and receive safety alerts to ensure responsible AI use that aligns with student safety and instructional goals.
Read the press release to learn more.
3 | Get Real-Time Student Wellness Insights
AI in education isn’t just about academic tools; it’s also helping schools support student mental health and wellbeing. Securly Aware delivers proactive insights into student wellness based on students’ digital behavior and online interactions. Student Services teams gain the visibility they need to identify concerns earlier and support students more effectively, even with limited resources.
4 | Use Tools Built for K-12 Education
Every solution Securly offers was designed exclusively for use in K-12 schools. Not every edtech vendor can say that. From COPPA-certified privacy protections and SOC 2 Type 2 compliance, to customizable policies and school-owned data, our tools are designed to meet K-12 safety, compliance, and instructional needs.
Go from AI Caution to AI Confidence with Responsible AI Use
AI is already shaping the future of education. But how it’s used today will determine whether it builds trust or erodes it.
Districts don’t need to choose between innovation and safety. With the right policies, tools, and partners in place, they can embrace AI in a way that supports learning, protects student wellbeing, and aligns with the values that define great education.
“We have to go further than just providing districts with a framework; we have to provide them with tools to implement AI safely. That’s our focus at Securly.”
Tammy Wincup, CEO
Ready to take the next step toward responsible AI implementation in your district?
To learn more about how Securly empowers schools to implement AI tools safely and effectively, visit https://hs.securly.com/safe-ai.
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