Spencer, MA - At the April School Committee meeting of the Spencer-East Brookfield Regional School District, the policy subcommittee unanimously recommended 3-0 to the larger school committee that they adopt the first-ever policy on the appropriate use of what is known as generative artificial intelligence for teachers and students. The larger School Committee voted unanimously 5-0 in favor of implementing the proposed policy. The policy adopted at the April 8th, 2025 meeting speaks to the fact that the Spencer-East Brookfield Regional School District is innovative and responsive to the needs of an ever-changing world and sees Artificial Intelligence (genAl) as a skill that students should learn; the school committee in their discussion portion of the motion/vote, made clear that it sees this policy as a priority - but is wary of over-legislating given the ever-changing nature of genAI and the lack of expertise that is ever-changing and evolving with genAI. As such, the Spencer-East Brookfield Regional School Committee’s newly adopted policy for the district teachers and students states:
“The Spencer-East Brookfield Regional School District recognizes the importance of generative artificial intelligence (genAI) as a component of a strong 21st-century education. The availability of genAI provides an opportunity for students and staff to access new and innovative ways to engage with the world of information, to communicate with others, to improve the efficiency of a range of tasks, and to create novel artistic and conceptual expressions. Therefore, the Spencer-East Brookfield Regional School District will incorporate the teaching and use of genAI into relevant aspects of the K-12 curriculum.
Given the nascent and rapidly changing nature of genAI, the Committee expects its administration to create sound, grade-appropriate (procedures or) guidelines to help support the wise and ethical use of genAI by teachers and students. Further, it expects that these guidelines will be regularly revisited and evaluated to ensure that they remain relevant and up-to-date with the changing technology landscape.
The procedures or guidance in effect at this time by the administration of the Spencer-East Brookfield Regional School District on the appropriate and ethical use of AI in our schools includes but is not limited to: a clearly defined purpose; scope; guiding principles for AI use; responsible Use of AI tools; prohibited use of AI tools; special consideration: advancing academic integrity as well as special consideration: safety, security, privacy.”
As a result of adopting this policy in April, Spencer-East Brookfield Regional School District administrators have begun working in partnership with Jeffrey C. Riley, the former Commissioner of Education, and the “Day of AI team” at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
What is Day of AI?
Day of AI is an initiative started at MIT dedicated to helping K-12 students and their teachers thrive in the age of artificial intelligence. Spun out as a standalone not-for-profit, the team at Day of AI in collaboration with the researchers at MIT offers curricula and professional development programs designed to enhance students' and teachers’ understanding of how AI works, as well as the ethical issues around this new technology. Day of AI’s mission is to equip educators with the knowledge and tools needed to integrate AI responsibly into their classrooms, fostering critical thinking and digital literacy among students.
Professional Development
Day of AI looks to support districts in effectively incorporating AI into their classrooms. Day of AI offers professional development workshops, available in both in-person and virtual formats. “The goal of our district partnership with the Day of AI team at MIT is to create a professional development roadmap for faculty and staff filled with AI Literacy training, Demystifying AI, Examining Generative AI Tools with a critical lens as well as making sure that the work of our professionals within the district do daily are aligned to the guiding principles and appropriate use of AI tools now and into the future… MIT’s goal is to be a world leader in AI, and our goal as a regional school district is to be ready and well prepared for AI as one of their local district partners,” said Superintendent of Schools, Paul Haughey.
Massachusetts Grant
Day of AI recently received a grant to support a select number of Massachusetts schools in implementing the Day of AI program and to measure the program’s effectiveness in improving student and teacher AI literacy. As part of this grant, Day of AI is offering free professional development to the Spencer-East Brookfield Regional School District. It is interested in implementing the Day of AI curriculum with our faculty and students during the 2025-26 school year. “We are pretty fortunate to have been provided with this free learning opportunity within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as part of the second cohort, and yet, it speaks to the focus we have as professionals on preparing our faculty, staff, and students for an ever-changing world... Think about where we'll be in five years as a result of genAI?
“I know our entire team here in the district is excited to get to work on the professional development aspects of the work, beginning with the Day of AI curriculum,” added Haughey.