The Cumberland County Board of Education has approved updates to two major technology policies aimed at regulating artificial intelligence, strengthening student data protections, and updating internet safety requirements.
District officials said the revisions, adopted at Tuesday’s board meeting, were needed to keep pace with classroom technology and to comply with federal requirements under the Children’s Internet Protection Act.
North Carolina’s Department of Public Instruction recently updated statewide Generative AI Implementation Recommendations, encouraging districts to set expectations for AI usage, privacy, and digital literacy.
Because CCS receives E-Rate funding, a federal program that subsidizes school internet access and filtering systems, the district must keep its policies aligned with evolving federal standards.
Changes to the Technology Responsible Use Policy
A new section added to the Technology Responsible Use Policy outlines how artificial intelligence may—and may not—be used in CCS classrooms. It includes:
- expectations for “responsible and ethical use”
- teacher oversight in overseeing personal device and AI tool usage
- a prohibition on the “harmful creation, possession, or sharing of deep fake images”
- a requirement that only “licensed or pre-approved software and AI tools” may be used on school devices
- use of “school-provided web browsers with safe AI interaction settings”
- an expectation of “academic honesty, responsible AI use, copyright respect, and data privacy”
Stronger expectations for appropriate use
The revised policy clarifies:
- Students may not use district technology “for amusement or entertainment” unless approved by a teacher or administrator.
- Student access to social media platforms is prohibited unless a teacher directs it solely for educational purposes.
- District hotspots may be used off campus only by those who need them and only for activities “integral, immediate, and proximate to the education of students.”
Reinforced cybersecurity and account-protection rules
Additional changes emphasize:
- No use of “anonymous proxies to circumvent content filtering.”
- Bans on hacking or attempting “to gain unauthorized or unlawful access to other computers, systems, accounts, data, or information.”
- Employees must safeguard their user IDs and passwords, including Student Information Systems credentials.
- Users must immediately report security concerns or inappropriate content access.
Changes to the Internet Safety Policy
The district also applied changes to the Internet Safety Policy around filtering rules to block:
- material that is obscene, pornographic, or harmful to minors
- violence, nudity, or graphic content lacking a “legitimate pedagogical purpose”
- websites, web applications, or software that do not protect against the disclosure, use, or dissemination of a student’s personal information
Expanded student-data protection language
A newly added clause to the Internet Safety Policy now requires blocking “websites, web applications, or software that do not protect against the disclosure, use, or dissemination of a student’s personal information.”
The next school board meeting will be held Jan. 13.
Education reporter Dasia Williams can be reached at dwilliams@cityviewnc.com.