CIBOLA COUNTY NM - The school board meeting taking place on July 8 lasted approximately five hours focused on technology guidelines and systems, particularly with artificial intelligence.
“The district has officially adopted a new AI policy designed to guide the responsible and equitable and effective integration of AI technologies into our schools.” Isaac Tafoya said.
Grants-Cibola County Schools will use AI Chat, which is said to be one of the few school-AI tools that is safe and compliant for students of all ages.
With this AI tool, the schools will be able to monitor student usage of AI, including AI Chat, ChatGPT, and Gemini. They intend to maintain academic integrity and therefore guide students on the responsible and ethical use of artificial intelligence, as well as getting teachers comfortable with this new technology so they will be able to customize interactions and content to support the educational goals. Additionally, Tafoya intends to schedule time with the board so they can learn how to use AI tools as well.
This new addition to schools is considered to be “A significant step that the district is… taking towards embracing innovation and preparing our students for the future.”
TheirnewAIpolicyisbuilt aroundfivecoreprinciples:Equity, Transparency, Safety, Work, and Responsibility.”
A summary of the policy guidelines as shown at the meeting:
1. Equitable Access
We are committed to ensuring all students have fair access to AI tools and resources. This includes addressing digital divides, supporting diverse learning needs, and avoiding bias in AI applications.
2. Transparency and Disclosure
Any use of AI— whether in classroom tools, assessments or administrative functions—must be clearly communicated to students, parents, and staff. Users should know when AI is being used and what it’s doing.
3. Data Privacy and Safety
Student data must be protected. AI tools must comply with FERPA and other privacy laws. We will only use platforms that meet rigorous security and ethical standards, and we will vet all AI vendors accordingly.
4. Educator Support and Training
Teachers will not be expected to navigate AI alone. We are providing professional development and clear guidance so educators can confidently integrate AI in a way that supported instruction without replacing human judgement.
5. Responsible Use and Accountability
AI will be used to enhance— not replace—critical thinking, creativity, and personal engagement. We will monitor AI use closely, establish accountability procedures, and revise practices as needed to reflect new developments.
These practices can be revised to reflect new developments.
Tafoya said, “Artificial intelligence… [is] rapidly transforming the world around us from how we work and communicate to how we teach and learn.”
Securely is a company that GCCS will be using for student safety. It focuses on the safety of students and will not use or own student data, it does not train its technology by AI Chat data, and it will only retain data as long as necessary to meet the districts education mission.
Risks of using AI include data privacy violations such as weak encryption and security due to using personal email, regular non-compliance with privacy laws such as FERPA or GDPR, and uncontrolled data flow of sensitive information sent through personal email risking exposure outside of secure school systems.
Phishing and social engineering threats such as higher attack risk and expanded attack surface AI integration vulnerabilities include weak AItool security and sophisticated misuse.
Lack of accountability such as no audit trail and no access controls.
Inconsistent security policies include lax controls and cybersecurity gaps.
Loss of data control such as unmanaged retention and vendor lock-in.
Legal reputation risk of potential liability and erosion of trust.
AI data misuse such as corrupt inputs or model manipulation.
Unsecured communication channels such as man in the middle risks and system compromise.
GCCS intends to ensure that their AI use enhances learning while safeguarding the students and staff.
Upcoming
July 15, 2025 Regular Board Meeting
July 22-24 Charging the Storm Leadership Summit August 4-6, 2025 Welcome Back to GCCS 2025-2026 August 7, 2025 First Day of School