TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Tucson Unified School District's (TUSD) board approved three revisions to its AI Use in Education Policy at Tuesday night's board meeting.
The policy has been in effect for over a year. As the technology evolves, district officials say changes to the policy are necessary.
KGUN 9 covered this topic in May when the first three revisions to the AI policy were proposed. Because the board decision was split 2-2 at that time, adjustments had to be made before moving forward.
READ MORE: Tucson Unified board split on proposed AI policy changes affecting students
Tracey Metcalfe, TUSD senior director of educational technology and field support, came back to the table Tuesday for the second read.
The first revision adds agentic AI to the district's AI definitions.
"Agentic is a newer version of artificial intelligence, and we did not include that in our original policy because it did not exist. That's how fast this AI is moving," Metcalfe said.
The second revision allows middle school students access to district-approved AI platforms, which are Code HS and Canva.
"Code HS is a coding program and Canva is a graphic design program. So that was approved tonight for middle school students to be able to use only those two district approved platforms," Metcalfe said.
The final revision approves and acknowledges the use of embedded AI tools.
"There are many platforms out there that our students are using that have AI embedded into them. For example, there's a voice recognition program that are used by some of our students that help them to express themselves naturally and it grows and learns with the students," Metcalfe said. "It allows for students who really have difficulty with speaking to allow this AI program to speak for them, to enhance their communication."
That is approved for students ages five to 15.
During the public comment period from June 16 to August 6, many teachers and parents expressed their support and concerns.
"Another comment was from a middle school parent who thought it was important for her child to learn how to use AI responsibly and ethically," Metcalfe said.
On the other hand, TUSD parent Matthew Schmidgall, doesn't believe it should be used.
"The policy appears built on an assumption that AI is, in general, beneficial and should be integrated into education so long as it is approved, monitored, secure, and used ethically. However, a primary question that I believe is unaddressed is whether AI should be used at all during key stages of child and adolescent development. The policy must recognize that education for students (especially elementary education) should prioritize foundational literacy, critical thinking, creativity, and direct human interaction."
TUSD says it understands why parents are concerned but assures them students do not have access to AI platforms on its campus other than those that are approved.
"I think people look at, oh, they're using Chat GPT to cheat and write their essays. Not on our devices and not on our Wi-Fi. That is all blocked," Metcalfe said.
Some board members also addressed their concerns about students using AI, but acknowledged the changes are needed. The board voted 3-2 to approve the revisions.
"We've had several teachers who have been asking for over a year, especially our computer skills teachers. They really want to have their kids using Code HS, and I cannot wait to let them know, you got it. We got it," Metcalfe said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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Vanessa Gongora is KGUN 9's Westside reporter.. Vanessa fell in love with storytelling by growing up in sports. She was fascinated by how sports reporters go beyond the x's & o's to tell players' stories, and how sports bring people together, inspiring Vanessa to provide the same impact as a journalist. Share your story ideas and important issues with Vanessa by emailing vanessa.gongora@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
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