Jessica Vaughn: SCHOOL BOARD POLICY WORKSHOP OF MARCH 4, 2025 IS CALLED TO ORDER. SUPERINTENDENT AYRES, CAN YOU START THE WORKSHOP FOR US? Van Ayres: THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. SO, BOARD MEMBERS, AS YOU ARE FAMILIAR, THIS IS ONE OF OUR POLICY WORKSHOPS ON OUR POLICY CYCLE. SO WE HAVE SOME BOARD MEMBER POLICIES WE'LL BEGIN WITH. ONE OF THE FIRST ONES, IF YOU REMEMBER THE WORKSHOP ON A.I. WHERE WE SPENT SOME TIME AND REQUEST WAS MADE FROM THE BOARD TO RELOOK AT ALL OF OUR POLICIES REGARDS TO A.I. AND MS. FOSSICK HAS THOSE TO KICK THEM OFF. I'LL THROW TO MR. PORTER IF THERE IS ANYTHING YOU WANTED TO MENTION BEFORE I THROW IT OVER TO KRISTIN OR COLLEEN. GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO COME AND BRING A NEW POLICY TO THE BOARD AND HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. AS THE SUPERINTENDENT STATED, AS A RESULT OF THE WORKSHOP ON JANUARY 21st THAT IS WHERE THE POLICY IS BORN FROM.
IF YOU RECALL FROM THAT BOARD WORKSHOP WE TALKED ABOUT SIX PRINCIPLES THAT WILL GUIDE DECISION MAKING AROUND ANY EMERGING TECHNOLOGY. AND MY BELIEF IS THAT BOARD POLICY IS MEANT TO STAND THE TEST OF TIME, SO WE WOULD WANT SOMETHING THAT CAN BE AN UMBRELLA FOR US AND AT THE END IT DIRECTS THE SUPERINTENDENT AND STAFF TO DEVELOP PROCEDURES FOR IMPLEMENTATION. SO WHEN WE LOOK AT THIS POLICY AT THE RECOMMENDATION ALSO OF MR. PORTER AT THE LAST MEETING TO MAKE SURE THAT THE TERMS A.I. ARE PRESENT WITHIN THE POLICY SO THAT IF THERE WAS SOMEBODY SEARCHING FOR INFORMATION ABOUT OUR POLICIES, IT'S EASILY FOUND. AND SO WE ALSO TALKED ABOUT AS AN A.I. GOVERNANCE TEAM ABOUT TECHNOLOGY IS STANDING SO FAST IN OUR WORLD TODAY. AND REALLY TO LOOK, TO HAVE A POLICY THAT ENCOMPASSES WHAT WE CAN'T IMAGINE IS GOING TO BE OUR FUTURE WITH TECHNOLOGY RIGHT NOW AND RECOGNIZING THAT AT ANY TIME WE CAN COME BACK TO THE BOARD AND UPDATE A POLICY.
SO THE TITLE OF THIS NEW POLICY IS EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES. THE HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD RECOGNIZES THE TRANSFORMATIVE POTENTIAL OF EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES, FOR EXAMPLE, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, TO ENHANCE TEACHING, LEARNING, AND DISTRICT OPERATIONS. THIS POLICY REFLECTS OUR COMMITMENT TO USING EMERGING TECHNOLOGY RESPONSIBLY, ENSURING ITS ROLE COMPLEMENTS THE DISTRICT'S VISION OF PREPARING STUDENTS FOR LIFE. THIS POLICY IS GUIDED BY THE FOLLOWING PRINCIPLES: A HUMAN CENTRIC BELIEF. EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES WILL SERVE AS A TOOL TO SUPPORT, NOT REPLACE, HUMAN INTERACTIONS IN EDUCATION AND DISTRICT OPERATIONS ENSURING THAT TEACHERS, STUDENTS, AND STAFF REMAIN AT THE CENTER OF LEARNING AND DECISION MAKING. UNIVERSAL ACCESS. EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES WILL BE ACCESSIBLE TO ALL STUDENTS AND STAFF ACROSS DISTRICT OPERATIONS, EMPOWERING PERSONALIZED LEARNING AND ENHANCING OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY. RESPONSIBLE USE, THE IMPLEMENTATION OF EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES WILL PRIORITIZE TRANSPARENCY, SAFEGUARD DATA PRIVACY AND ALIGN WITH THE HCPS STANDARDS OF ACADEMIC INTEGRITY FOR STUDENTS. INNOVATION AND COLLABORATION. THE DISTRICT WILL REMAIN COMMITTED TO COLLABORATION WITH EXTERNAL PARTNERS ENSURING THAT THE USE OF EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES REFLECTS INNOVATION THAT ALIGNS WITH EDUCATIONAL AND OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE.
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING, EDUCATORS AND STAFF WILL BE EQUIPPED WITH THE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS TO UNDERSTAND EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES AND IMPLICATIONS, LEVERAGING IT TO ENHANCE TEACHING, LEARNING, AND DISTRICT OPERATIONS THROUGH THOUGHTFUL INTEGRATION. AND FUTURE READY SKILLS, STUDENTS WILL DEVELOP THE CRITICAL AND CREATIVE SKILLS NEEDED TO NAVIGATE AND SUCCEED IN A WORLD INCREASINGLY SHAPED BY EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES WHILE DISTRICT OPERATIONS WILL MODEL THESE COMPETENCIES BY LEVERAGING EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES TO ENHANCE EFFICIENCY, INNOVATION, TEACHING, AND LEARNING. THE SUPERINTENDENT WILL DEVELOP PROCEDURES FOR IMPLEMENTATION THAT ALIGN WITH THESE PRINCIPLES AND ENSURE THE RESPONSIBLE INTEGRATION OF EMERGING TECHNOLOGY INTO THE DISTRICT'S EDUCATIONAL AND OPERATIONAL PRACTICES. AND THAT IS THE PROPOSED DRAFT FOR THE NEW POLICY. Jessica Vaughn: DID ANY BOARD MEMBERS HAVE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ABOUT THAT?
MEMBER GRAY. YES, EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES. Lynn Gray: [INAUDIBLE] IS IT ACCEPTABLE FOR ME TO REMARK INCLUSIVELY WITH ALL THE -- Jessica Vaughn: SURE. WILL IT TAKE MORE THAN FIVE MINUTES, DO YOU THINK? Lynn Gray: IT WILL NOT.
Jessica Vaughn: GO AHEAD, MEMBER GRAY. Lynn Gray: SO ONE OF THE THINGS I THINK PREEMPT IS -- AND YOU'VE DONE AN EXCELLENT JOB, MS. FOSSETT. I THANK YOU AND YOUR TEAM. WITH ALL THE CALIBERS AND NUANCES OF DIFFERENT POPULATIONS, TEACHER TRAINING, GUIDANCE COUNSELOR TRAINING, ALL THE MUST-HAVES, WHAT I'D LIKE TO SEE, AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THE BOARD COMMENTS, AND SUPERINTENDENT VAN AYRES, THE PROCEDURES, REMARKABLY THIS IS A WHOLE NEW BALL GAME IN A LOT OF WAYS AND FOR OUR TEACHERS, PRINCIPALS, APs, GUIDANCE COUNSELORS. I HAVE ABOUT SIX THINGS I'D LIKE TO SEE. I LOOK FORWARD TO BOARD MEMBERS EITHER MAYBE ADDING MORE. PROCEDURES WHICH ADDRESS PLAGIARISM. PROCEDURES WHICH ADDRESS CURRICULUM IN THE INFUSION OF A.I. PROCEDURES ON HOW YOU'RE GOING TO ADDRESS POPULATIONS SUCH AS ESE, SUCH AS THE ELL, SUCH AS THE VARYING DEMOGRAPHICS OF VARIOUS LANGUAGES, LEAVE IT THERE. CULTURES, BUT LANGUAGES.
THE OTHER PART IS HOW ARE WE GOING TO ADDRESS THE MENTAL HEALTH ASPECT. YES, WE CAN DO IT THROUGH GUIDANCE COUNSELORS. BUT THERE IS A LOT OF A.I., TECHY, AND MENTAL HEALTH IS THE OPPOSITE IN MANY CASES. WITHOUT HAVING A COUNSELOR TALKING POINTS, I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE DON'T LOSE SIGHT OF THE MENTAL ASPECTS OF A.I. AND WHAT IT CAN DO, PERHAPS BULLYING, ET CETERA. THE OTHER PART IS HOW WE'RE GOING TO ADDRESS TEACHER TRAINING. I'M GOING TO FLIP BACK TO GUIDANCE COUNSELOR TRAINING. IMPORTANTLY, PARENTAL TRAINING, HOW ARE WE GOING TO HELP OUR PARENTS LEARN WHAT THESE POLICIES OR BETTER YET, A.I., BECAUSE THEY ARE HEARING IT ALL THE TIME, AND I JUST WONDERING IF AS A PARENT, MY KIDS, MY GRANDKIDS KNOW MORE THAN I DO ALREADY. JUST TEN YEARS OLD. ONE IS 11. IF WE'RE GOING TO HAVE POLICIES, WHAT IS THE OTHER EQUATIONAL PART IS PARENTAL KNOWLEDGE.
OBVIOUSLY, THE PRINCIPAL, ET CETERA. I WOULD LIKE FOR ALL OF US TO HAVE AT LEAST THAT KIND OF REMARKS SO WE CAN GO THROUGH THIS INTELLIGENTLY AND RESPOND ACCORDINGLY. MADAM CHAIR, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THAT'S GOING TO BE MY REMARKS FOR ALL FIVE. Jessica Vaughn: ALL RIGHT.
THANK YOU, MEMBER GRAY. DR. HAHN, YOU ARE NEXT IN QUEUE. Stacy Hahn: YEAH, I THINK THOSE ARE ALL REALLY GOOD POINTS THAT MEMBER GRAY BRINGS UP. THAT SOUNDS MORE LIKE THE IMPLEMENTATION SIDE OF THIS POLICY.
THE POLICY KIND OF DOES THE GUIDANCE AND YOU AND YOUR STAFF WORK ON ALL THOSE ASPECTS THAT MEMBER GRAY SAID IN THE IMPLEMENTATION. HOW WOULD YOU GO ABOUT DOING THAT, JUST FOR THE RECORD? Van Ayres: DEPENDING ON WHAT HAPPENS WITH THE POLICY TODAY, THIS IS A NEW POLICY. THE NEXT FIVE ARE REVISIONS. ONCE THIS POLICY IS BROUGHT FORWARD, ONCE WE SEE CONSENSUS TODAY, WE'LL START DEVELOPING PROCEDURES AROUND THIS PARTICULAR POLICY. THE GUIDANCE THAT WE HEAR FROM TODAY AND HELP US WORK THROUGH THE PROCEDURES, IT HELPS US FOR SURE AS WE DEVELOP PROCEDURES AROUND THIS NEW POLICY AND THE FIVE REVISIONS. ONCE WE SEE CONSENSUS TODAY, THEN THIS TEAM WILL START TO WORK THROUGH WHAT THOSE PROCEDURES THEN LOOK LIKE. AS YOU MENTIONED, DR. HAHN, THAT'S REALLY -- POLICIES ARE WRITTEN, PROCEDURES ARE WHAT OUR STAFF RELIES ON TO SAY HOW WE'LL WORK THROUGH THIS. YOU DIDN'T LEAVE ANYTHING OUT.
Stacy Hahn: I THINK ESPECIALLY AROUND THE PARENT PIECE, AS MEMBER GRAY SAID, THAT IS A REALLY IMPORTANT ASPECT. A LOT OF PARENTS ARE NOT IN POSITIONS OR JOBS WHERE THEY ARE USING A.I. SO IT IS REALLY NEW TO THEM. THEY MAY NOT KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN THEIR CHILD IS DOING HOMEWORK OR WORKING ON PROJECTS. SO I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT. IF WE CAN ADDRESS ALL THOSE THINGS SHE MENTIONED IN YOUR PROCEDURES, I THINK THAT WOULD BE GREAT. Van Ayres: YES, WE WILL ABSOLUTELY DO SO. I APPRECIATE THE GUIDANCE ON THAT AND WE'LL INCLUDE IN ALL OF THOSE WITHIN THE PROCEDURES AS WE START TO DEVELOP THEM. Jessica Vaughn: DID ANY OTHER BOARD MEMBERS HAVE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS BEFORE WE MOVE ON TO THE NEXT POLICY? I JUST HAVE ONE COMMENT, UNLESS BOARD MEMBERS SAY YOU'RE AGAINST A POLICY, I'M GOING TO ASSUME WE HAVE CONSENSUS TO MOVE FORWARD.
I KNOW WE TALKED ABOUT HOW IT WAS HARD TO FIND ONE PROGRAM THAT COULD CATCH ALL ChatGPT OR AS MEMBER GRAY MENTIONED, PLAGIARISM, BUT I WOULD STILL URGE US TO PUT FORTH ONE CONSISTENT APPLICATION OR PROGRAM THAT DOES CHECK FOR THAT'S CONSISTENT, THAT ALSO WARNS A STUDENT BEFORE THEY SUBMIT THE WORK THAT THEY ARE AGREEING TO THE FACT THAT THEY HAVEN'T USED ANYTHING THAT THEY HAVEN'T CITED. I KNOW THAT IN COLLEGES AND EVEN IN SOME OF OUR COMMUNITY COLLEGES, THEY HAVE SOMETHING THAT THEY UTILIZE. IT SEEMS PRETTY GOOD. AGAIN, I THINK JUST THE STUDENT ACKNOWLEDGING AS THEY SUBMIT THE WORK, CLICKING A BUTTON AND SAYING, YOU KNOW, I AM NOT PLAGIARIZING. I'VE CITED EVERYTHING THAT I'VE USED IS POWERFUL IN ITSELF EVEN IF IT CAN'T CATCH EVERY SINGLE PIECE OF ANYTHING, CROSS-REFERENCING THEY MIGHT HAVE USED. THAT'S SOMETHING I URGE FOR US TO DO AND USE SOMETHING CONSISTENT ACROSS THE BOARD TO OFFER OUR TEACHERS.
ALSO, I WOULD LIKE TO LOOK AT WHAT THE COLLEGES ARE USING BECAUSE I'VE GOTTEN GOOD FEEDBACK ON THAT. THAT'S THE ONLY COMMENTS I HAVE IF WE WANT TO MOVE ON TO THE NEXT POLICY. THAT'S THE NEW ONE. MS. FOSSETT HAS FIVE REVISIONS. THE NEXT FIVE ARE ALL TIED TO A REQUEST FROM THE BOARD AT THE BOARD WORKSHOP TO REVISE AND TO INCLUDE THE A.I. LANGUAGE WITHIN THE NEXT FIVE POLICIES. THAT'S WHAT I HAVE DONE IN THESE. 2131, 2132, 2210, 2240 AND 2250 ALL ADD LANGUAGE SPECIFICALLY RELATED TO THE INCLUSION OF EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES AND THEN CITING A.I. AS THE EXAMPLE. I COULD GO THROUGH EACH ONE OF THEM IF NEEDED. YOU'VE HAD THOSE TO REVIEW. Jim Porter: YOU'LL RECALL AT YOUR WORKSHOP ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, THIS WAS THE BOARD'S REQUEST THAT YOU HAVE A NEW POLICY WHICH MS. FOSSETT WENT THROUGH. EASE OF SEARCHING, WHEN PEOPLE ARE SEARCHING POLICIES, THE TERM ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE WAS ADDED.
THE NEXT FIVE ARE NOT REAL SUBSTANTIVE CHANGES. THEY ARE JUST PUTTING THE TERMINOLOGY IN SO THAT SOMEONE SEARCHING OUR POLICIES CAN FIND THEM. IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, MS. FOSSETT CAN ANSWER THEM. Jessica Vaughn: I KNOW YOU DID A THOROUGH JOB OF GOING THROUGH ALL OF THEM. SEEING THAT NO BOARD MEMBERS HAVE QUESTIONS OR DISCUSSION ABOUT THAT WE CAN MOVE ON TO 5136. THANK YOU, MA'AM. Jim Porter: 5136 WAS AN AMENDMENT TO AN EXISTING POLICY REGARDING WIRELESS COMMUNICATION OR CELL PHONES BROUGHT BY MS. GRAY. IF WE CAN TURN TO THAT, THIS IS 5136. IF YOU REFER TO LINES 9 AND 10, IN THE CURRENT POLICY WHICH THE BOARD ADOPTED A FEW MONTHS AGO, HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WERE ALLOWED TO USE THEIR PHONE DURING LUNCH. MS. GRAY IS SUGGESTING AS A POLICY AMENDMENT THAT BE TAKEN OUT SO THAT THERE WOULD NOT BE CELL PHONE USAGE ALLOWED AT LUNCH FOR ANY LEVELS OF SCHOOLS.
I BELIEVE THAT'S WHAT YOU WANTED TO ACCOMPLISH. Lynn Gray: WELL, IT MAY BE JUST REPLICATION OF WHAT'S GOING TO BE PRESENTED BY SENATOR BURGESS JULY 1st, 2025. IT STATES THAT SCHOOL DISTRICTS WILL IMPLEMENT A POLICY FOR SPECIFIED SCHOOL YEAR PROHIBITING THE USE OF CELL PHONES WHILE ON SCHOOL GROUNDS OR ENGAGE IN CERTAIN ACTIVITIES OFF SCHOOL GROUNDS, REQUIRING THE DEPARTMENT TO PROVIDE A REPORT TO THE LEGISLATURE BEFORE A SPECIFIED DATE PROVIDING REQUIREMENTS FOR THE REPORT, ET CETERA. I SENT THIS POLICY TO SENATOR BURGESS, THE ONE WE HAVE, ABOUT THREE MONTHS AGO. HE'S HELL-BENT ON WIRELESS BEING TAKEN OUT OF SCHOOLS. I THINK, KRISTIN, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU ARE HERE. DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER BILLS THAT WOULD SUGGEST THE SAME?
I JUST WANT TO POINT OUT THIS WOULD BE 1296 WHICH MEMBER GRAY JUST MENTIONED, WOULD BE -- IT'S ACTUALLY FOR A PILOT PROGRAM FOR THE FIRST YEAR FOR 25-26 THAT WOULD HAVE DOE SELECT TWO SMALL SCHOOL DISTRICTS, TWO MEDIUM DISTRICTS AND TWO LARGE DISTRICTS TO STUDY.
IT ACTUALLY JUST IS A PILOT AT THIS POINT, THE ONE THAT MEMBER GRAY MENTIONED. Lynn Gray: DR. WHELAN AND I WERE THINKING MAYBE WE COULD BE ONE OF THE PILOTS. AS THE BILLS EMERGING, WE MAY NOT HAVE ANY NEGOTIATION. I DON'T WANT TO TAKE THE THUNDER. RICK GRAVES, DID YOU WANT TO PRESENT ANYTHING TO US? BECAUSE THERE WERE REMARKS, SCHOOL PRINCIPALS FEEL THEY ARE ALREADY SO BURDENED OF ENFORCEMENT. WHAT IF YOU ENFORCE THIS SITUATION WITH NO CELL PHONES, AND THAT'S VERY HIGHLY RECOGNIZABLE BECAUSE SCHOOL PRINCIPALS ALREADY HAVE WAY TOO MUCH GOING ON. BUT I WILL TELL YOU THE SAME -- NOT THE SAME, EXACT SAME, BUT THESE PRINCIPALS, 4,000 PRINCIPALS, TEACHERS, APs, THIS WAS A SURVEY DONE LAST YEAR HAVE REMARKED ABOUT CELL PHONES. I DON'T WANT TO READ THEM ALL. BULLYING, INSTIGATING FIGHTS. WE HAD A FIGHT AT DAVIS ISLAND WHERE MOSTLY THEY ARE NOT PAYING ATTENTION, BUT THEY USE THEM TO COORDINATE FIGHT TIMES AND LOCATIONS.
THEN PEOPLE COME TO FILM THE FIGHT, CHEATING AND DRAMA ON SOCIAL MEDIA. STUDENTS CREATE GROUP CHATS TO SEND EACH OTHER WORK AND ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS IN ALL OF THEIR CLASS WORK. THEY TAKE PHOTOS OF THE SMART KID'S WORK WHILE THE KID ISN'T PAYING ATTENTION AND THEY COPY THE WORK. A LARGE NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS ALL SAID ALL OF THIS ABOVE. STUDENTS TAKING PHOTOS OF OTHERS AND POSTING THEM WITH RUDE COMMENTS. IT CAN GO ON AND ON. THE BULLYING I THINK SUGGESTS THE FIGHTING ALONE IS WORRISOME. PLAGIARISM, ALL OF THAT. MENTAL HEALTH IS DEVASTATING THROUGH THE CELL PHONES.
I THINK MEMBER COMBS MENTIONED THAT BEFORE. THE PROBLEM IS THE ENFORCEMENT. THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN SOLVED BY BROWARD COUNTY AND ORANGE COUNTY AND TWO OTHER COUNTIES IN FLORIDA. SO I SUGGESTED TO DR. GRAYES THIS MORNING BEFORE WE EVEN GET INTO THIS POLICY THAT WE NEED TO SAY HOW WE WOULD FACE THE ENFORCEMENT PROBLEMS -- I DON'T HAVE TO TALK AND SHAKE YOU KNOW THIS. YOU CAN'T TELL PRINCIPALS, THIS IS THE EDICT, AND YOU HAVE NO HUMAN HELP, SUPPORT STAFF TO MAKE SURE IT'S DONE WITH FIDELITY. SO WE'RE PUTTING THE CART BEFORE THE HORSE. WHAT WE SHOULD HAVE IS HOW YOU'RE GOING TO DO -- HOW YOU'RE GOING TO BE SUCCESSFUL WITH THAT BARRIER. AND THAT WOULD GO WITH BURGESS, TOO. YOU CAN PUT A LAW DOWN OUR THROATS, BUT WE HAVE TO HAVE PREPARATION. SUPERINTENDENT VAN AYRES, RIGHT NOW, IF WE WERE TO GO TO SAY, YES, TAKE OUT ALL THE CELL PHONES AS THIS PILOT AND OTHER BILLS, BY THE WAY, TWO OTHER BILLS SUGGESTED.
NOT JUST THIS ONE, IF WE GO AHEAD AND SAY TO PRINCIPALS AND HERE WE ARE IN MARCH, THAT YOU CAN'T -- NO CELL PHONES ARE ALLOWED, THAT WOULD BE THE WORST SCENARIO. HOWEVER IF YOU PRESENTED SUCH AS ORANGE COUNTY, BROWARD, I HADN'T GOTTEN THE OTHER DIRECTIVES FROM THE TWO OTHER COUNTIES, IF YOU PRESENTED IT AND MAYBE DR. GRAYES, MAYBE YOU WANT TO SHARE YOUR VIEW AS CHIEF OF SCHOOLS. HOW WOULD YOU PRESENT THIS IN THE BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL YEAR SO PRINCIPALS WOULD NOT FEEL -- IT WOULD MITIGATE THE ENFORCEMENT CONCERNS. THANK YOU, MS. GRAY. AS IT'S BEEN MENTIONED, THE BARRIERS AFTER I'VE SPOKEN WITH A FEW PRINCIPALS AND FEW FORMER HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPALS AS WELL, THE BARRIER WOULD BE THE ENFORCEMENT. FOR RIGHT NOW, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT DURING A LUNCH PERIOD, YOU COULD HAVE ANYWHERE FROM SIX TO SEVEN HUNDRED, TO A THOUSAND STUDENTS EATING LUNCH AT A TIME.