When ChatGPT became publicly available in 2022, the Darlington school district in South Carolina briefly blocked students from accessing it. Now, the 8,900-student district is heading into the second year of its generative artificial intelligence rollout, which includes supervised use of ChatGPT.
The rollout focused on three main values: how to give staff more time to do meaningful work, how to protect student and staff data, and how to use the emerging technology for innovation.
The integration process, led by the district’s instructional technology team, included many meetings with teachers and staff, the school board and the superintendent, and families.
“The work that we’ve done, the process that we followed—that’s what has really made this AI integration in our district so successful,” said Carla Jefferson, the district’s director of digital and online learning.
In a July 1 panel discussion at the ISTELive 25 + ASCD Annual Conference 25, Jefferson and her team shared the steps they took as they planned the integration of generative AI-powered tools in the district.
Tech coaches start with informal discussions
The district’s two technology coaches were the ones who started the conversations and exploration of AI tools, even before the district had an official position or policy on the technology.
Laney Rogers, the elementary-level technology coach for the district, started exploring generative AI tools on her own in March 2023 to see what they can do. It was then that she also started having casual conversations with teachers to gauge what they knew about the emerging technology.
By November 2023, Rogers and Shan Lewis, the secondary-level technology coach, were having more discussions about AI with a group of early-adopter teachers. Most generative AI tools were still blocked on district devices at this time, but Rogers and Lewis wanted teachers to know these tools existed, how they worked, and how best to use them. They also started providing more resources for teachers to learn about the available AI tools.
The district creates a position statement
As the tech coaches were exploring AI tools with teachers, Johnathan Skaris, the instructional technology coordinator, was having conversations with district leaders about the district’s overall stance on these tools.
The Darlington district, by spring 2024, decided to create a position statement on generative AI, instead of a policy. The position statement says the district recognizes the potential of these generative AI tools to “enrich classroom dynamics and enhance student academic outcomes,” so it’s “imperative” to approach integration “with deliberate caution.”
“We wanted to be flexible,” Skaris said. “We knew that if we chose policy, we would be stuck in a process. I would have to go back and forth to get that policy changed over and over again.”
During the summer break, Skaris met with the school board to ensure that it was on board with the position statement, and that all the board members understood what generative AI was and how it could transform teaching and learning.
The district addresses public concerns
The next step for Skaris was to hold town hall meetings with the community to hear their views on generative AI.
Here are some of the tough questions Skaris received:
- AI collects so much student data—how do we know our children’s personal information is safe? What’s stopping companies from selling or misusing their data? Skaris explained there are laws that protect student data, and the district has a thorough vetting process before any digital tool is approved for student or staff use.
- Teachers are already overworked, and now they have to monitor AI use, check for plagiarism, and learn new technology. Isn’t AI just adding more stress to their jobs? Skaris said the hope is that these new tools will actually help reduce burnout for teachers, rather than add to their workloads.
- Education is about learning, thinking, and problem-solving. AI is making students dependent on technology instead of actually learning. Isn’t AI ruining education? Skaris said it’s important to ensure students and staff know how to use the tools in a way that enhances human connection and learning.
The district then rolled out more formal professional development opportunities for staff to learn about and experiment with AI tools.
For the upcoming school year, the focus is on providing AI literacy opportunities for students.
“[AI] is not going away,” Jefferson said. That’s why the district decided to integrate AI in “a way to empower ourselves.”
