Parents and Community AI Guidance

Clayton County's family-facing AI guidance explains how CCPS uses AI to support (not replace) teachers, promises FERPA/COPPA/CIPA-compliant human-in-the-loop use, and gives parents concrete Okay/Not Okay scenarios for home AI help.

Clayton County Public Schools (CCPS) — Parents and Community AI Guidance. A plain-language companion to the district's AI Position Statement, written for families and community members.

Why We're Talking About AI. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a powerful tool changing how we live and learn. CCPS is using AI to help students succeed, run schools better, and prepare everyone for the future — done in a safe, fair, and respectful way that follows the law and protects student privacy.

What Is AI? A technology that helps machines or software think and make decisions like humans. Examples: personalizing learning, translating languages, helping with scheduling and grading, and finding patterns in data to help schools improve.

Our AI Goals at CCPS. AI should help people, not replace them. Goals: help students learn in ways that work best for them; make school operations more efficient; teach students, staff, and families what AI is and how to use it responsibly; ensure everyone has access to AI tools regardless of background.

For Teaching and Learning. Gives instant feedback to students; helps teachers create lesson plans and quizzes faster; adjusts lessons to meet individual student needs.

For School Operations. Improves scheduling and attendance systems; helps plan budgets and staff use; analyzes school data to find ways to improve.

For Preparing Students. Teaches students about AI, how it works, and the importance of ethics; offers real-world learning through partnerships with colleges and businesses; includes AI in STEM programs, coding lessons, and projects.

For Parents and the Community. Offers workshops and resources to learn about AI; creates ways to share concerns or ask questions; works with community groups to make sure AI fits local values.

Teaching AI in Schools. Adds AI topics into school lessons; teaches students how to use AI fairly and safely.

Starting Small. Tries AI tools in some schools before using them district-wide; uses feedback from staff, students, and parents to decide next steps.

Training for Teachers and Staff. Provides ongoing training about how to use AI in classrooms and offices; trains parents and leaders on what AI is and what it isn't.

Making Sure Everyone Has Access. Ensures all schools have the tech they need; makes sure no student or school is left behind.

Creating Clear Rules. Develops easy-to-understand AI rules that focus on fairness, safety, and privacy; works with families, teachers, and students to shape these rules.

Checking and Improving. Regularly reviews how AI is being used; makes changes when needed based on new information or concerns.

Our Promise: Safe and Fair Use of AI. AI will be: Fair and Accessible for all students, including those with special needs; Safe and Private, following laws like FERPA, COPPA, and CIPA; Used with Human Oversight, so people make the final decisions; Ethical, used in honest and transparent ways; Taught Well, so students and staff know how to use AI wisely; Open to Feedback, especially from families and the community.

How We Protect Your Child's Privacy. We never use AI tools that don't follow privacy laws; we only approve tools that meet our strict safety standards; student data will not be shared or collected without permission; students only use district-approved, age-appropriate AI applications that support learning.

What's Next for Parents and Families. Training sessions and workshops to help families understand how AI works in school; feedback opportunities through meetings and online surveys; ongoing updates as things change.

In Closing. CCPS wants to use AI to help students succeed, not to replace teachers or staff — focused on safety, fairness, and transparency, keeping learning human at the heart of everything.

Okay Uses of AI. Helping teachers plan lessons; translating languages for students; supporting students with disabilities; creating personalized learning paths.

Not Okay Uses. AI writing assignments for students; using AI to grade or discipline students without a teacher's input; collecting personal data without permission.

Use Case Scenarios.

Scenario 1 (Unacceptable). A 4th grade student is struggling with math homework and a parent suggests the student use an AI Study Companion on the parent's phone to photograph problems and write in the answers. This violates CCPS guidelines because AI-generated student work submitted as original compromises academic integrity and bypasses independent problem-solving.

Scenario 2 (Acceptable). After reading Charlotte's Web, a student uses a district app's AI image generator via the CCPS Portal to create a book-cover image from the student's own description, and credits Canva. This aligns with the position statement's support for AI-assisted lesson planning and content creation.

Scenario 3 (Acceptable). A student preparing for a math test enters practice problems into an AI-powered learning platform that gives step-by-step explanations, then applies what he learns to solve new problems on his own. This supports personalized instruction and equitable, inclusive access without replacing the teacher's role.