[CASL-L] Fwd: CT School Law - AI and Back to School: What District Administrators Need to Consider Now

[Barbara Johnson]

Something to consider...

*Barbara Johnson*
*Instructional Technology Coordinator*
Colchester Public Schools
*Schedule a meeting with me* <https://calendar.app.google/u6ZZmTkbWaa4XjMH7>





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From: Shipman & Goodwin LLP <notifications at lexblog.com>
Date: Thu, Aug 13, 2026 at 8:04 AM
Subject: CT School Law - AI and Back to School: What District
Administrators Need to Consider Now
To: <bajohnson at colchesterct.org>


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AI and Back to School: What District Administrators Need to Consider Now
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By Dori Pagé Antonetti, Joseph Miller and Gwen J. Zittoun on Aug 12, 2026
09:46 am

*Use of Artificial Intelligence in Schools: The Legal Landscape*

This post is the first in our series, *Use of Artificial Intelligence in
Schools: The Legal Landscape*, in which our School Law Practice Group will
address the legal issues raised by Artificial Intelligence (AI) use in
Connecticut schools, with future posts to follow as the legal landscape
develops. To help districts navigate these issues, we have also established
a dedicated AI team of attorneys available to assist school district
clients with policy development, student and employee matters, vendor
agreements, and other AI-related questions.
*AI and Back to School: What District Administrators Need to Consider Now*

As the 2026-2027 school year begins, school districts face a new reality:
school professionals across Connecticut may be actively adopting AI tools
for student learning and day-to-day operations. While schools have focused
in prior years on student use of AI, many educators now incorporate AI
tools into their instructional practices. School administrators, therefore,
should expand their focus to how teachers and other school staff are
harnessing these tools in the classroom. As we discussed in our July 2026
blog post on Anthropic’s launch of “Claude for Teachers,” individual
educators now have free access to powerful AI tools, and the legal
questions around their use are no longer theoretical.

*Consider This...*

Educators may now be using AI tools in a variety of ways as they prepare
for the school year and in their classrooms and other educational
environments. Consider the following scenarios and what legal issues may be
implicated:

   - *The Organizer*: A middle school teacher uploads into an AI tool class
   rosters and a “Get to Know You” survey she plans to administer on the first
   day of school. The survey includes questions pertaining to strengths and
   weaknesses, learning style, and extracurricular interests. The teacher
   plans to upload the results into the AI tool to develop seating charts and
   groups for team assignments, as well as to suggest conversation topics she
   can use to connect with her students.


   - *The Modifier: *While using a home computer over the summer, a special
   education teacher uploads a student’s Individualized Education Program
   (IEP) into an AI tool to help generate modified assignments and
   differentiated instructional strategies aligned to the student’s goals.


   - *The Planner: *An elementary school teacher uploads a set of
   curriculum materials—reading passages and word lists from the district’s
   adopted literacy program—into an AI tool to generate sight word flashcards
   for students.


   - *The Communicator:* A high school teacher downloads student records
   from the district’s learning management system, then uploads them to an AI
   tool to draft customized welcome letters and correspondence with parents.

In each of these scenarios, the educator seeks to use an AI tool to
facilitate teaching duties or enhance student learning. The information
uploaded to the AI tool for each case, though, differs significantly.
Before we can determine whether the educator appropriately used the AI
tool, we have a lot of questions.

*Where Do You Start?*

Whether or not your district has formally approved any AI tool, the ease of
using these tools makes addressing their use nearly impossible to avoid. To
start, district administration should communicate clearly to school
staff—before school starts—which AI tools and uses are permitted and which
are not.

In preparing guidance for school staff, the administration should actively
consider the following key issues:

   - What do your board policies currently say about AI? Do they need to be
   updated to address AI tools explicitly?
   - How do you want AI to be used—or not used—by school staff in your
   district?
   - Are teachers permitted to upload personally identifiable student
   information (PII) into AI systems? If so, are the appropriate measures in
   place under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)?
   - What student data privacy agreements do you currently have in place
   with AI vendors, and what additional agreements do you need? Connecticut’s
   student data privacy law requires a written contract with any vendor that
   has access to student information, student records, or student-generated
   content.
   - Are teachers checking (and being reminded to check) that they are
   logged into their school accounts when using approved AI tools through a
   browser?

Once these questions have been answered, we recommend that the district
administration send a written communication to school staff before the
school year begins, reminding them of the district’s expectations regarding
appropriate AI use, including which tools (if any) are approved and the
district’s expectations for handling student information. District
administrators should work closely with legal counsel in developing and
reviewing existing board policies, reviewing or negotiating vendor
agreements, and addressing FERPA and Connecticut student data privacy
compliance as AI use in the district continues to grow.

** * **

Shipman & Goodwin’s School Law Practice Group continues to monitor
developments relating to AI in PK–12 education. The legal landscape in this
area is evolving rapidly, and districts that take proactive steps now will
be better positioned to manage risk while supporting innovation. Districts
with questions about AI use in their schools—including board policy
development, student data privacy compliance, or vendor vetting—should
contact their Shipman & Goodwin school law attorney for guidance specific
to their circumstances.


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