WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Mount Greylock Regional School Committee is grappling with the question of how artificial intelligence can and cannot be used by the district's faculty and students.

 

At a Jan. 21 in-person meeting at the middle-high school, five members of the seven-person committee heard a report from the superintendent about the issues confronting educators nationwide as online AI tools become more pervasive in society.

 

Superintendent Joseph Bergeron gave examples ranging from using AI prompts to help a student get started on an essay assignment to how a parent or guardian might use the same tool to help an elementary school pupil work through a multiplication assignment using the various techniques — some of which that parent may never heard of.

 

"I thought it would be helpful to give you a sense of what is already happening for plenty of students, plenty of families," Bergeron said.

 

The School Committee is developing a new districtwide policy for the use of AI.

 

It is new ground for the district. Bergeron told the committee at its Jan. 8 meeting that neither the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education nor the Massachusetts Association of School Committees has a model policy to deal with the emerging technology.

 

The Mount Greylock committee's Policy and Governance Subcommittee is working to develop a policy to bring to the full body for a vote.