Dennis-Yarmouth Regional School District

In Dennis-Yarmouth, we believe that equitable access to Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools and education is essential to preparing every student for success in a rapidly evolving world. Our schools are committed to empowering all learners to be ethical, informed, and creative problem solvers who can adapt, collaborate, and lead in an increasingly technological society.

We envision a district where AI is integrated across disciplines to enhance instruction, support differentiated learning, and promote innovation—while upholding our core commitment to instructional excellence and equity. Through continuous learning and strategic professional development, educators are equipped to use AI responsibly and effectively, ensuring every classroom remains a vibrant environment for curiosity, reasoning, and purposeful challenge.

By fostering a culture of collaboration, reflection, and shared accountability, we embrace the transformative potential of AI while safeguarding human-centered teaching. Together, we prepare every student to engage thoughtfully with AI and contribute meaningfully to their communities and the world.

What is AI and Generative Artificial Intelligence?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been around for over sixty years.  Over the past decade, AI has become a staple in society.  When used appropriately, AI can have a profound impact on teaching, learning, and student outcomes.  

The term AI was coined in 1955 by Stanford professor John McCarthy.  He defined AI as “the science and engineering of making intelligent machines”.  These machines are programmed to reason, learn, and act in such a way that would normally require human intelligence or that involves data whose scale exceeds what humans can analyze. They can be programmed to carry out very complex tasks such as discovering proofs for mathematical tasks, recognizing patterns, and translating spoken languages. Examples of AI in your daily life might include voice assistants like Siri or Alexa, GPS navigation systems, using spelling and grammar checks, and picking a suggested next-word when composing a text message on a phone or email message.

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) tools, such as ChatGPT, can be used to create new content (text, code, audio, video, images, and videos).  GAI systems can produce human-like responses including narrative passages and responses.  This technology is evolving very rapidly. These GAI systems are far from perfect, and some of the material they provide as factual is incorrect. 

GAI tools generate responses in real-time, drawing on patterns and structures it has learned from a large dataset of text. When you ask a GAI tool a question or give it a prompt, it analyzes this input and crafts a new, unique response that makes sense in the context of the conversation. Essentially, GAI tools are highly advanced digital assistants, capable of conversing with humans. The goal of using Generative AI tools is to explore responsible integration of AI for educational purposes, focusing on its potential as a thought partner for educators and students.  

Below is the summary of the best practices determined from DYRSD AI committee meetings, research of AI policies, insights and recommendations from the Office of Educational Technology, U.S. Department of Education and survey data from District stakeholders.

Guiding Principles

Teaching & Learning

Why it's important:  Improving digital literacy is key to ensuring everyone can benefit from AI advancements.  Integrating AI into teaching and learning processes can significantly enhance educational outcomes and expand opportunities for critical thinking, analysis and application. Professional development for teachers will ensure that students learn to use AI tools effectively.  AI tools do not replace the essential human elements of teaching and learning and can support differentiation efforts such as enrichment and remediation.

Value associated: Effective use of AI in teaching and learning can provide personalized learning experiences, act as a thought partner, improve student engagement, and support teachers in delivering high-quality education. It can also help identify and address individual student needs more efficiently and act as a tool to provide access to curriculum and learning experiences for all students.  

Career & Future Readiness

Why it's important: Preparing students for future careers is a key responsibility of the educational system. As AI technologies become more prevalent in the workforce, it is important to equip students with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in an AI-driven world.

Value associated: Focusing on career and future readiness ensures that students are well-prepared for the job market and can adapt to the evolving demands of the workforce. It also enhances their employability and long-term career prospects.

Equitable Access

Why it's important: Ensuring equitable access to AI technologies is important to prevent widening the digital divide. All students, regardless of their background, should have equal opportunities to benefit from AI-enhanced education.

Value associated: Promoting equitable access helps create a fair and inclusive educational environment where all students can thrive. It also supports social equity and helps bridge gaps in educational attainment and opportunities.

Responsible Use of AI

Why it's important: Responsible use of AI is crucial to ensure that AI technologies are used ethically and do not cause harm to students, staff, or the broader community. It involves setting clear guidelines on how AI should be implemented and monitored within the school environment.

Value associated: Ensuring responsible use of AI helps build trust among all stakeholders, including caregivers, staff, students, and community members. It also safeguards against potential misuse of AI, which could lead to privacy violations, biased decision-making, and other ethical issues.

Upholding Academic Honesty

Why it's important: Upholding academic honesty is essential to maintain the integrity of the educational system. With the increasing use of AI, there is a risk that students might use AI tools to cheat or plagiarize, which undermines the value of their education.  

Value associated: Promoting academic honesty ensures that students develop genuine knowledge and skills, which are critical for their future success. Maintaining a culture of transparency when using AI tools preserves the credibility of the school's academic programs and the value of the qualifications awarded.

Privacy

Why it’s important:  Ensuring privacy of personal information is important to protect users of AI.  All users should be confident that their personal information will not be shared outside of  District-approved AI tools.

Value associated: Verifying that privacy protections are in place allows everyone to use AI tools with confidence that their information will be protected. 

Bias

Why it’s important:  AI systems can perpetuate or even amplify existing biases present in the data used to train them. This can lead to unfair or discriminatory outcomes, particularly in sensitive areas such as education. When these biases go unchecked, they can disproportionately affect marginalized groups, reinforcing stereotypes and systemic inequalities.

Value associated: Ensuring that AI systems used in schools do not disadvantage any group of students is essential for promoting fairness and equity in the educational environment. 

The following guidelines outline the acceptable use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools within the Dennis-Yarmouth Regional School District for the 2025–2027 school years. As AI technologies continue to evolve, this document is subject to change. These guidelines reflect our commitment to continuous, differentiated professional learning that empowers educators to integrate AI tools responsibly and effectively across content areas, enhancing instruction, deepening student learning, and maintaining our focus on equity, ethics, and instructional excellence.

2025-2027 DYRSD Guidelines:

Administrators:

• Will present the AI Guidelines document to educators to ensure a consistent and common understanding
• Will work to provide professional learning opportunities for leaders and educators
• Will work with educators to identify and incorporate appropriate opportunities for AI integration within all content areas
• Will review the AI Guidelines document on an ongoing basis

Educators:

• May explore AI tools they find educationally valuable, but must first complete the  Digital Tools Approval Form  to ensure compliance with district data privacy policies.
• Will use professional learning opportunities (district-provided and/or educator-selected) to build their awareness of ethical issues that arise with use of AI tools such as bias, equity and privacy
• Will use professional learning opportunities (district-provided and/or educator-selected) to identify and incorporate appropriate opportunities for AI integration within their content areas 
• Will explicitly communicate to students and families the extent to which AI tools may be used in specific assignments 

Students:

• May only use District approved AI tools with a teacher's explicit permission for specific assignments
• Will use District approved AI responsibly and safely, including identifying and avoiding plagiarism and bias
• Will have opportunities to demonstrate their use of AI tools at school events

OET EdLeaders AI Toolkit

AI Report