Artificial Intelligence (AI)

AI is incorporated into many tools available to Plano ISD staff and students.  Notably, as part of our Microsoft 365 A5 Education License, we have access to Copilot Chat.  Similarly, under an educational licensing agreement with Google, we have access to Gemini and NotebookLM.  Additionally, there are some generative AI capabilities embedded into a range of other tools we offer like Adobe Express and Canva.  For students, it is important to note that these tools must only be used with teacher approval.  And even when AI tools are used, we expect such use to be transparent:  students and teachers should talk openly about how AI was used in assignments and for what purpose(s).

Approved general-purpose AI tools are posted on our Approved Apps Portal here.  There are other approved applications that contain AI-enhanced features (e.g. Adobe Express, Canva, etc).  All approved applications are posted here.

The approval process begins by submitting a request through our Plano ISD Help Desk.  This is not only true for prospective AI tools but for all software or digital subscription services.  In turn, the Help Desk Specialists will route the request to our Digital Learning Team (DLT) for an initial review.  The DLT will then engage other departments as necessary, including but not limited to Academic Services and Technology Operations. A final determination  will be made after all factors have been considered (i.e. terms and conditions, data privacy agreement, existing tools, academic fit, cost, redundancy, interoperability, etc.).

The educator of record determines what a student knows and is responsible for all grades entered into the Skyward gradebook. AI-generated data is advisory only. 

You should be very careful not to share sensitive records with any AI system.   Sensitive records may include but are not limited to the following:  Personally Identifiable Information,, sometime referred to as PII (ex: name, address, birth date, etc), educational records (ex: IEPs, 504s, etc), student photos, health records, usernames, passwords and proprietary information. 

Even though they may appear similar on the surface, the AI tools used in Plano ISD are substantially different when compared to consumer (public) tools.  This is especially true with regard to privacy and data governance.  The tools we offer have been designed to comply with privacy standards, acting as a "school official" under FERPA.

Information entered into, uploaded to, or generated by approved tools through a District-provided  account is not used to train or improve AI models.  It stays within Plano ISD’s digital perimeter.  Chats and content generated by our approved tools are not reviewed by humans outside of our organization or, potentially, by the tool providers upon our explicit request.  Prompts and responses stay within our organization's security boundary.  Student data is never used for advertising purposes.  These guardrails, coupled with AI Literacy basics, help keep your child's information safe.

Plano ISD supports the responsible and transparent use of generative AI through its Generative AI Position & Guidance document, first shared with principals in July 2023. The district’s approach emphasizes academic integrity, critical thinking, cybersecurity and data privacy.

A Generative AI workgroup, comprising teachers, librarians, instructional specialists, campus administrators and district staff, met across late 2024 and early 2025 to study safe and effective instructional uses of AI. Additional student feedback was collected from the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Committee in April 2025.

Plano ISD does not impose blanket bans on emerging AI tools. Restrictions apply only where required by law (e.g., tools that prohibit users under age 13) or by vendor terms of service. Teachers determine whether AI use is appropriate for specific assignments, and the district continues to emphasize the importance of avoiding over-reliance on AI.

Google’s system-level safeguards may also limit access to some third-party tools on district-issued accounts, a security enhancement implemented statewide for users under age 18.