AI in Columbus classrooms will not be running the show any time soon. Columbus City Schools is poised to give teachers the final say on when students can tap generative artificial intelligence in class, as the Board of Education prepares to vote Tuesday evening on a districtwide AI-use policy. The draft would let teachers allow or block AI on specific assignments while spelling out academic-integrity rules, approved platforms and protections for student data. District leaders say the goal is to keep people, not software, in charge as AI tools spread through classrooms.
As reported by WOSU Public Media, Christopher Lockhart, the district's chief of information technology, said teachers will be the "guiding force" in deciding how AI is used and that the district will provide professional development so educators can adjust. Lockhart told WOSU some teachers are wary while others are ready to lean in on AI, and the policy is designed to give instructors flexibility to let students use tools for brainstorming, draft review or assignment-specific challenges when those tools are approved.
The district has already posted a detailed position statement and a list of approved tools online. According to Columbus City Schools, Microsoft Copilot is the district's primary chat and operational AI service, and the district does not have contracts with OpenAI's ChatGPT. The page also states that students should use generative AI only with explicit teacher permission. The guidance spells out grade-by-grade expectations: highly supervised, teacher-led uses in K–5; guided, classroom-supported uses in grades 6–8; and conditional support for research, writing and planning in grades 9–12.
Academic integrity and discipline
The draft includes an academic-integrity section that says a student's unauthorized use of AI tools would be treated as plagiarism, unauthorized collaboration or misrepresentation of AI-generated content and could trigger discipline under the student code of conduct. It also prohibits creating or sharing AI-generated images or audio that impersonate other students, staff or board members in derogatory or threatening ways. The policy outlines procedures for investigating suspected misuse, as reported by WOSU Public Media.
State deadline and model policy
Ohio law required the Department of Education and Workforce to publish a model AI policy and gave districts until July 1, 2026 to adopt local rules of their own. The department has posted a model that districts may use or adapt. The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce says the model covers acceptable uses, data-privacy safeguards, how to evaluate vendor tools and expectations for staff professional development.
What comes next
The board is scheduled to consider and vote on the policy at its Tuesday meeting at the Southland Center. If the policy passes, the district says it will keep vetting tools, training staff and updating its guidance as AI evolves. Parents and teachers who want to follow the meeting or review the draft can find details on the district's calendar and policy pages, according to Columbus City Schools.
