Pasco schools outline AI rules before unlocking program for students

Tampa Bay Times | By Jeffrey S. Solochek| November 4, 2025

The draft guidelines stress that artificial intelligence should be a tool, not a replacement for thinking.

Saying artificial intelligence is becoming inescapable, Pasco County school district officials on Tuesday unveiled guidelines aimed at directing how students and teachers use it in coursework.

“Students I have talked to I think said it best,” superintendent John Legg said. “They articulate, ‘We would play by the rules if someone gave us the rules.’”

As the district prepares to unlock Microsoft Copilot for high schools in December, it wants to make sure it provides that direction. Some schools began using AI in more limited trial initiatives, such as helping teachers prepare lessons and providing children with guided tutorials, earlier this year.

Its 19-page pamphlet, which remains a work in progress, emphasizes the importance of viewing AI as a tool to support learning, rather than a substitute for doing the work.

The document also makes clear that AI can make mistakes, meaning students always need to verify their facts and ensure their materials are legitimate. And it encourages students to be transparent when they use AI-generated content, citing it as a source.

“This is important, especially for academic integrity,” said school board member Jessica Wright, who’s also a high school social studies teacher. “We need to have standards in place, and guidelines for teachers to follow.”

On that front, the district offers recommendations for educators who allow students to use AI in their assignments. It also reminds everyone to keep student data private and use only tools that have been properly vetted for security.

The district has a list of eight systems so far that it has approved.

Its guidebook comes at a time when artificial intelligence is rapidly gaining acceptance. A recent College Board survey indicated that more than half of high school students often or sometimes use generative AI tools for their schoolwork, with the majority saying it’s most helpful when they need information or answers to questions.

The survey showed that teens’ feelings about AI is mixed, though. While more than 80% said the technology can help their learning, about half worried that using it too much might make them too dependent and less intelligent.

Concerns about the uses of AI have reached into the legislative halls of Tallahassee, where committees have held hearings this fall about how schools can take advantage of it while maintaining guardrails against abuse. Lawmakers also have offered bills seeking to set rules for AI in areas including insurance and mental health counseling.

Legg said his team looked to other school districts to make sure Pasco’s guidelines don’t venture far afield from what’s being done elsewhere, while also not ignoring the realities of the emerging field.

Since teachers and students already use AI on their own, he said, the schools must have some best practices in place so it can be a valuable learning tool.

“The day we publish it is the day the guidelines are obsolete. We’ll always be updating it,” Legg said. “What we don’t want is to tell our students simply don’t use it, or not give our teachers any resources.”

The district plans to distribute the guidelines after another round of revisions, in time for the Copilot launch.