AI tools are showing up in classrooms, offices, and inboxes everywhere.
The promise sounds great. Save time. Reduce workload. Improve efficiency.
But without rules, AI becomes a risk, not a solution.
Think of AI like a new staff member who hasn’t been trained yet. Useful, absolutely. Safe without guidance, not always.
Practical AI Uses in Schools
Email and document drafting
AI can draft responses, summaries, and first pass communications while humans retain final control.
Meeting notes and action items
Faculty meetings, admin reviews, and planning sessions can be summarized into clear action lists automatically.
Reporting and insights
AI can help translate raw data into understandable trends without replacing leadership judgment.
The Guardrails Schools Must Have
Never input student or staff sensitive data.
Approve which AI tools are allowed.
AI drafts while humans decide.
Assume everything entered is stored.
When in doubt, don’t paste.
FERPA and student privacy must always come first.
What AI Done Right Looks Like
Schools improve efficiency not by using every AI tool, but by using a few intentionally with rules.
Slow, intentional adoption beats reckless experimentation every time.
