San Rafael school district to form AI committee

Educators at San Rafael City Schools are forming a committee on artificial intelligence to explore its potential effects and benefits.

Christy Novack, the district’s technology director, told trustees on Monday that the panel’s goal will be to develop recommendations for the best uses of the technology in the schools. Novack is recruiting 12 to 15 parents, employees and students to serve on the panel.

“We feel the student voices are very important,” she said.

Novack said the committee will have four online meetings from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 22, Feb. 26, March 26 and May 14. Applications to join the panel are online at shorturl.at/QYknR.

Only teachers and staff have access to the district’s ChatGPT and Google Gemini artificial intelligence programs, Novack said. Some students might use ChatGPT, which is publicly available, at home, but the Google program is embedded in the district’s domain server and not accessible to students or the public, she said.

The committee may seek to determine the point at which teachers will be able to share the AI tools in classes, for example, and teach children how to use them, Novack said.

Trustees said they are excited about the AI exploration but want more details on the parameters.

“This is growing so quickly and so fast,” said Carolina Martin, vice president of the board. She told Novack she is curious how the district’s digital literacy coaches would be involved.

Novack said she is working with the coaches to establish safety and ethics guidelines for AI; determine how the technology can be used to increase efficiency and productivity for staff; and determine how to prevent bias and misinformation. Novack said she gave AI presentations to all the district’s schools earlier this year.

Laura Trahan, assistant superintendent at the Marin County Office of Education, said Novack is a “key part of our countywide AI work and leading and designing the community of practice.”

“The focus of the community of practice is to connect teachers and leaders with tools to increase efficiency,” Trahan said. “Christy is particularly good at making the learning accessible and the use of AI approachable.”

Martin said that “integrating AI and computer science in schools isn’t just about teaching technology.”

“It’s about equipping students with the skills and mindset to thrive in a world driven by innovation and computational thinking,” Martin said. “Technology is part of our lives. Whether students are going to make, create or use these technologies in the future, we have a responsibility to ensure they are responsible and prepared.”