Shawnee Mission School District pauses AI policy to craft broader technology guidelines

KSHB 41 reporter Olivia Acree covers portions of Johnson County, Kansas, including Olathe and Lenexa. Share your story idea with Olivia.

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More school districts across the country are rethinking how much technology belongs in the classroom, from limiting cellphones to reevaluating artificial intelligence.

That conversation is also happening in Shawnee Mission, where school board members decided in a July 20 meeting they need to revisit the district's technology and AI policies. They ultimately decided the best course of action was no action, as they need to take a closer look at technology use.

SMSD parent Leah Maugans reached out about the conversation happening in the district. She said she was encouraged to hear district leaders recognize they need to expand the conversation.

"I definitely would love to see a broader community conversation about this, and allow parents and teachers, of course, because they're the ones having to implement this every day, be a part of the conversation," Maugans said.

KSHB

The discussion came after the board approved a policy restricting students' use of personal electronic devices during the school day in accordance with a new Kansas law. When the board decided not to adopt the district's proposed AI policy, members said they wanted to develop a broader technology policy first.

"We didn't feel like we were ready. We didn't feel like that policy was doing exactly what we wanted it to do, and again, this will give us an opportunity to craft a more robust policy that'll meet all of our needs," said SMSD Superintendent Dr. Mike Schumacher.

Schumacher said the goal is to establish clear expectations for instructional technology use. He also noted there is currently no generative AI available on district-issued devices, but he sees the need for guidance as more students use AI outside of school.

SMSD

Maugans says there is a balance school districts need to find between kids being educated on technology but not reliant on it. She noted that technology is always changing, but the science of child development is not. She'd like to see policies based on how a child's skills should develop, not by how technology is evolving.

"Before we even get to AI, if we can rewind and decide as a district: What are those foundational skills that every kid needs to master? Then we can start having the conversation about what technology could look like coming in," Maugans said.

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