Montana School Boards Gradually Adopt AI Guidelines
Montana School Boards Gradually Adopt AI Guidelines
https://www.govtech.com/education/k-12/montana-school-boards-gradually-adopt-ai-guidelines
Publish Date: 2026-06-08 17:58:00
Source Domain: www.govtech.com
- Montana school boards are considering adopting new policy guidelines around the responsible and ethical use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in classrooms, provided by the Montana School Board Association (MTSBA).
- The MTSBA’s policy guidelines aim to integrate AI with considerations for privacy, empowerment of educators, transparency, and human oversight while complying with legal requirements like FERPA and HIPAA.
- Specific AI policy discussions are taking place in Missoula, Florence, and Stevensville school districts, which are assessing the guidelines offered by the MTSBA for relevance and applicability to their unique needs.
- Stevensville’s AI Taskforce engaged in studying AI, including reading a recently published book on the subject, although the Superintendent cautioned that the technology evolves rapidly, suggesting a more general policy to avoid frequent updates.
- Florence-Carlton’s School Board, likewise, reviewed the MTSBA policy, noting its fluid nature due to the rapid pace of AI development.
- Missoula County Public Schools (MCPS) is in the process of considering language that will specify the appropriate use of AI in teaching, emphasizing it should support rather than substitute teaching, and forbidding the input of any personally identifiable information into AI tools.
- The proposed MCPS policy stresses the importance of teachers modeling ethical AI use and prohibiting the use of AI for cheating, copyright violations, or disseminating harmful content.
- School boards will make final decisions on adopting these AI guidelines during future meetings.
