AI Guidebook

AI Vision Statement

Portland Public Schools will leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a transformative, ethical, and human-centered tool to accelerate student achievement, disrupt systemic inequities, and prepare every graduate for an AI-powered future. Our vision is to cultivate a teaching and learning community where AI amplifies human potential and strengthens, but never replaces, the essential relationships at the heart of education.

AI Acknowledgement

This guidebook was created with the assistance of NotebookLM, an AI tool based on large language models (LLMs) from Google. The AI processed the provided source documents from PPS, ODE, neighboring districts, and other AI and education focused organizations to help generate content. Acknowledging the use of AI tools like this is an important aspect of responsible use and transparency. While AI can produce sophisticated outputs, human review and editing were essential to evaluate the generated content for accuracy, fairness, and bias and ensure the relevance of the final material.

01/02 Introduction & Objectives

Purpose

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly influencing daily life, education, and work, making AI literacy essential for navigating the world, creating with purpose, and preparing for the future of learning and work. AI literacy equips learners and educators to understand both the risks and opportunities that AI presents, and to make meaningful and ethical decisions about its use. It helps users critically evaluate AI’s impact on their lives, education, and communities while preparing them to shape the future. AI literacy builds on foundational digital literacy skills. While there may have been initial concern and scrutiny leading to bans of tools like ChatGPT, many districts are now shifting towards thoughtfully engaging with AI’s potential.

These guidelines build upon the foundation of the District’s Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) and Administrative Directive 8.60.041-AD, which governs the use of District technology and systems. AI tools, when used on the District network or accessed via District systems or devices, are subject to the AUP and these specific AI guidelines. This handbook provides guidance on the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence for all users of District technology – students and staff alike, and will be reviewed on a quarterly basis.

Human Judgment & Oversight

Human judgment, creativity, empathy, and ethical consideration remain essential and are skills that technology cannot replicate. AI may be used as a starting point, and the PPS staff members’ expertise and understanding of student context are crucial for effective implementation. Use this guidebook to determine when AI is the right tool for a task.

Objectives

Establish expectations for responsible, ethical, and safe use of AI tools in PPS for staff, students, and families.
Support the use of AI for District-related educational and administrative purposes.
Address the potential risks associated with AI use, including social-emotional health, bias, inaccuracy, data privacy, academic integrity, and media manipulation (deep fakes).
Promote AI fluency and literacy as a necessary skill for navigating an AI-influenced world and preparing for future careers.
Emphasize that AI is a tool intended to support and enhance human work, not replace it.

03 AI for Staff: Enhancing Practice & Upholding Responsibilities

As members of the Portland Public Schools community, staff play a vital role in leveraging AI tools effectively, ethically, and safely, both in their professional tasks and in guiding students. This section outlines key considerations and responsibilities for staff as they navigate the evolving landscape of Artificial Intelligence.

Leveraging AI for Professional Tasks

Artificial Intelligence, particularly Generative AI (GenAI), offers numerous opportunities to support and enhance the work of educators and staff within the District. AI can serve as a powerful tool to streamline administrative functions and augment professional practice, allowing staff to focus more time on direct student support and instruction.

Examples of how staff can leverage AI in their roles include:

Learning Design and Differentiation: AI can assist educators in developing lesson plans, generating individualized instructional materials, creating customized practice problems, designing assessment questions, and differentiating content to meet diverse student needs, including simplifying complex texts or providing text-to-speech options for students with disabilities.
Instructional Support: AI can help educators efficiently find instructional resources on specific topics or pedagogical approaches, supporting differentiated instruction. AI can also provide preliminary translations for multilingual learners and families, though these should be verified.
Assessment Support: Human judgment remains essential. AI tools can support developing assessment questions or help identify areas for support or enrichment (be mindful of student data privacy). AI is never a replacement for the critical analysis of an educator and should not solely be used to assess student work.
Administrative Tasks: AI can act as a virtual assistant, helping with everyday tasks such as drafting emails and other communications, finding supplementary content, or searching for professional development opportunities, potentially creating more time for building relationships with students and engaging in direct instruction.

It is important to remember that AI is a tool to augment human capabilities and knowledge, not replace human judgment, creativity, or the essential relationship-building aspects of education. Staff should approach AI use starting with being the human in the loop–using inquiry, seeing what AI produces, and concluding with reflection, editing, verification, and understanding.

Staff Ethical Use and Disclosure

Given their professional roles and responsibilities within a school or district environment, staff have unique ethical obligations when using AI tools. Ethical use for staff involves centering human decision-making and understanding the implications of their own AI use and the tools they use or introduce to students.

Key ethical considerations for staff include:

Avoiding Overreliance and Centering Human Judgment: Staff must understand that AI tools are imperfect and can produce biased or inaccurate outputs. They should avoid allowing AI to “do the thinking” and ensure human insight, perspective, and expertise remain central to decision-making and work processes.
Bias Awareness and Mitigation: Staff must understand that AI outputs can reflect and perpetuate societal and individual biases embedded in their training data or algorithm design. Staff should critically review AI output for intended use to avoid biases and support staff and students who may be harmed by biased content.
Responsible Creation and Sharing: Staff must avoid creating inaccurate or harmful content using AI. This includes understanding the risks associated with media manipulation and deep fakes and the importance of responsible creation and consumption. Staff should model transparent and responsible use of AI for students.
Disclosure of Use: While the primary concern for disclosure often relates to student academic integrity, staff should model academic integrity by citing their own use of AI when appropriate, particularly when creating materials or policies informed by AI. Disclose the use of any generative AI tool used in PPS businesses, communications, instruction, or training whenever possible. An APA example citation is below:
- AI Company Name. (year, month day). Title of chat in italics [Description, such as Generative AI chat]. Tool Name/Model. URL of the chat
- Example:
  Google. (2025, May 22). High school grammar concepts overview [Generative AI chat]. Gemini 2.5 Flash. https://g.co/gemini/share/a1306ce12929
Upholding District Values: Staff AI use should align with and embody the Portland Public School’s established mission and values.

Data Privacy and Compliance for Staff

Staff hold a significant responsibility in protecting student and sensitive District data, and their use of AI tools must strictly adhere to all relevant federal and state privacy laws and District policies. Staff actions can have potential professional and legal ramifications if they inadvertently or intentionally compromise protected information.

Key privacy and compliance responsibilities for staff include:

Strict Avoidance of Oversharing: Staff should not enter or upload any personal or sensitive information, especially student Personally Identifiable Information (PII), confidential records (e.g., student performance, behavioral reports, personal health information), or other protected data into AI tools. Entering PII into generative AI tools should always be avoided, as this information is often stored on the tool’s servers and used to train the AI model. This poses risks of violating privacy regulations like FERPA, creating legal consequences, and damaging trust. Only district approved AI tools, like Gemini, should be used.
Adherence to Privacy Laws and Policies: Staff must understand and comply with FERPA, COPPA, CIPA, and the Oregon Student Information Protection Act (OSIPA) when using any technology, including AI tools. Staff should only use District-approved AI tools that have been vetted for compliance with these laws, including OSIPA, which some vendors may be unaware of. District protocols for requesting any digital tool’s use must be followed.
Using District Resources Appropriately: Staff should use District-provided resources and accounts (like District email) for District business. Be aware that information and data on District technology is subject to monitoring and may become public record. Using personal devices to access the network may subject them to the same public disclosures. Staff should not share account passwords or access others’ accounts.
Reporting Incidents: Staff are responsible for immediately notifying the IT Department and following established policy in the event of loss of a device or data, or if a device is compromised. Staff should report harmful or suspicious online activity, including unauthorized mimicry or cyberbullying.
Tool Vetting Awareness: Staff must understand the importance of using only approved tools that safeguard student data and include proper guardrails and age restrictions. These approved tools have been vetted by IT and Leadership to confirm that vendor Data Privacy Agreements (DPAs) are established. Staff should comply with the vendor’s terms of use. Staff should also understand the privacy implications of multimodal AI tools that capture images or sound. See the Approved PPS AI Tools section.

AI and Academic Integrity in Practice

Staff, particularly educators, are on the front lines of addressing academic integrity in the age of AI. Their role involves not only setting clear expectations for students but also understanding how AI impacts assessment and how to foster genuine learning.

Key aspects of AI and academic integrity for staff include:

Setting Clear Expectations & Building Transparency: Educators have the responsibility to clearly define when and how AI tools can or cannot be used for assignments and assessments. This guidance might vary depending on the learning objectives and the nature of the task (e.g., brainstorming, drafting, final submission). It is helpful to communicate the rationale behind these decisions to students. Teachers should directly state the AI level of use that is allowed. See the AI Levels of Use for Students section.
Educating Students on Responsible Use: All staff should actively teach students about AI literacy. This learning should include the risks of inaccuracy and bias, as well as the importance of critical thinking, fact-checking, and verifying information from AI sources. Educators should also teach students about copyright, academic integrity and ownership, and the importance of giving credit when AI is used.
Rethinking Assignments: AI tools prompt educators to consider how assignments can focus more on process, analysis, synthesis, problem-solving, and critical thinking rather than just the end product. Embedding formative assessment throughout assignments can help educators understand students’ genuine thinking and writing process.
Evaluating Student Work: Educators should evaluate student work based on their knowledge of the student's voice, writing style, and progress over time, as well as evidence of their process (e.g. drafts, outlines).
Addressing Misuse: If inappropriate use of an AI tool is suspected, staff should engage the students in conversations, seeking to understand if/how AI usage and its underlying justification. The focus should be on a restorative approach that helps students understand the harm of academic dishonesty and re-engage authentically with learning. Staff should not rely on AI detection tools as the sole method for identifying plagiarism. These tools are currently unreliable and have been shown to be biased. For example, bias against non-native English speakers.

By providing clear guidance, modeling responsible behavior, and focusing on the development of critical human skills, staff can help students navigate the complexities of AI while upholding academic integrity.

04 AI Levels of Use for Students

The appropriate level of AI tool use for a given task or assignment is determined by the instructor, considering the learning objectives and skills being assessed. Students should clarify expectations with their instructor when unsure about using AI.

❌ Restrictive: AI Use Not Allowed

Meaning: AI tools should NOT be used for these assignments. The work must be completely original and reflect the student’s own effort. This includes planning or drafting in some cases where originality is paramount.
Rationale: These assignments are designed to assess specific student skills, critical thinking, knowledge, and original expression. Using AI would defeat the purpose of the assessment. AI lacks understanding, intent, emotions, ethical reasoning, context, and originality, making it inappropriate for tasks requiring these uniquely human capabilities.

! Moderate: AI Use Allowed with Citation

Meaning: AI tools CAN be used for specific parts of these assignments, but the student MUST give credit to the AI tool and the information or content it provided.
Rationale: AI can be a helpful tool for initial research, brainstorming or generating initial drafts. Acknowledging AI’s contribution is important for academic integrity and avoiding plagiarism. Respecting intellectual property and recognizing that AI builds upon existing work are part of ethical use.

✅ Permissive: AI Use Allowed without Citation

Meaning: AI tools CAN be used freely for these assignments without requiring formal citation.
Rationale: These assignments focus on skills or tasks and does not significantly impact the originality of the student’s core work or the assessment of essential skills as aligned to the course standards. Using AI for these tasks aligns with leveraging its capabilities for efficiency, e.g. aggregating existing information.

*Adapted from Tigard-Tualatin School District*

05 Responsible AI Use in Classrooms

The use of AI tools on the District network or devices is a privilege subject to the Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) and these guidelines. All users are expected to engage with AI responsibly, ethically, and safely.

Primary Purpose

AI tools are intended for support of District-related educational and administrative purposes. This includes supporting learning, research, administrative tasks, lesson planning, and collaboration. Incidental personal use by employees must be limited and comply with all policies.

Understanding AI Limitations

Users must understand that AI, while sophisticated, lacks understanding, intent, emotions, ethical reasoning, context, and originality. AI operates based on patterns, statistics, and probabilities inferred from a wide range of information across the internet. It is not all-knowing or consistently correct, can make errors, and may “hallucinate” or invent facts. Understanding these limitations helps users assess reliability.

Critical Evaluation of Outputs

Users must critically evaluate AI-generated content for accuracy, fairness, bias, and relevance. AI outputs can contain inaccuracies, misinformation, disinformation, or reflect biases present in the training data. Users must verify information with reliable sources, employing skills like lateral reading and fact checking.

Bias and Fairness

AI systems can perpetuate societal biases embedded in their training data or algorithm design. This is because AI is trained on internet content, collected and categorized by humans. Users must be aware of potential biases and critically examine AI outputs. PPS strives to choose AI tools and develop policies that prioritize fairness and transparency while mitigating biases. AI literacy includes understanding how bias emerges in AI systems.

06 Data Privacy & Security

Users must exercise extreme caution regarding student data and Personally Identifiable Information (PII) when using AI tools.

Never input confidential student information (including performance data, behavioral reports, health information, or any PII as defined in ORS 339.329) into generative AI tools.
Information entered into generative AI systems or integrated into existing digital resources can be stored and used for training purposes, leading to risks of data breaches, misuse, or unintended harvesting (oversharing).
Users should review and adjust privacy settings on AI tools to ensure private data is protected per PPS guidelines.
District mobile devices with student data may have endpoint protection, including encryption. Users are responsible for the security of data on their devices. Immediately notify the Technology Department in case of device loss or compromise.
The District network is subject to monitoring. There is no expectation of personal privacy when using District technology. The Technology Department reserves the right to access and disclose data on District technology or transmitted over the network, as appropriate.
District policies must comply with state and federal privacy laws, including FERPA, CIPA, COPPA (especially for users under 13), and OSIPA. OSIPA prohibits using student data for targeted advertising or non-educational profiles. You should not be using any digital resources that have not been approved for use, including embedded Ai, agentic AI, and AI-assisted devices, when performing your PPS duties.

07 Environmental Impact

The PPS Climate Crisis Response, Climate Justice and Sustainable Practices Policy (3.30.080-P) requires critical analysis of AI and the impacts on the environment.

The Reality: AI Has a Measurable Environmental Impact

Training large AI models (like GPT-4) require substantial electricity and cooling water, generating significant carbon emissions.
- Example: Training a single large model can emit as much CO₂ as five gasoline-powered cars over their full lifespan.
Daily use—such as generating text or analyzing data—is less energy-intensive per use, but adds up when used at scale.
By 2028, AI data centers are predicted to use 250-400 Terawatt-hour (TWh)/year, the equivalent of the electricity of powering 25% of households in the US in 2025 for a year. The scale at which data centers are growing to meet the demand of AI are outpacing the energy sector–with data centers projected to scale by 33% each year and global renewable energy only scaling at about 15% each year–meaning that increasingly this energy demand will be powered by coal and natural gas–both of which not only increase GHG emissions contributing to the climate crisis, but also impact vulnerable communities through air and water pollution.
Researchers are developing smaller, more efficient AI models to reduce environmental costs.

Takeaways for Educators

AI’s environmental impact is real. Sustainable, thoughtful use can help ensure AI is part of the solution, not the problem.
Just like most other choices we can make when living in a time of abundance and efficiencies, asking the critical question of–is there a way to accomplish this task with less harm?–is vital. It is important not to perpetuate the individual blame and shame discourse that is associated with climate action. These data centers will be operating regardless of whether our staff and students use them. Through our Racial Equity, Social Justice and Climate Justice lenses, we are being mindful and intentional when utilizing these new technologies. This is an opportunity to engage students in critical conversations about local, regional and global impact and the way that technology revolutions can impact resource use, and inspire them to think creatively about a future of solutions.
The most notable trend in 2026 is that Google's Gemini currently leads in per-query efficiency, while “Reasoning” models (like GPT-o1 or DeepSeek-R1) are exponentially more energy-intensive.

Model	Energy (Wh)	Water (mL)	C0₂e (g)	Key Comparison
Gemini 2.5 (Flash)	0.24 Wh	0.26 mL	0.03 g	~5 drops of water: 9s of TV
GPT-4o	0.34 Wh	0.32 mL	0.15 g	~1/70th ot a phone charge
Perplexity (Search)	~0.60 Wh	~0.65 mL	~0.25 g	Higher due to live web search
Claude 3.7 Sonnet	~1.15 Wh	~1.30 mL	~0.45 g	Ranked hight for "eco-efficiency"
GPT-5 / Large Models	19.30 Wh	~39.0 mL	~8.50 g	Over 1 full smartphone charge

Resources

A No Brainer: How AI’s Energy and Water Footprints Threaten Climate Progress. March 2025.
Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) in K-12 Classrooms. Version 2.0. Updated March 2025.
How Hungry is AI? Benchmarking Energy, Water, and Carbon Footprint of LLM Inference
Lee, Lily, and Aditya Syam. “AI x Education 🌱 The Environmental Impact of AI🌱 The Environmental Impact of AI.” AI x Education, Apr 09, 2024.
Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). Human-Centered AI Guidance for K–12 Public Schools. Version 3.0. Date of publication: July 1, 2024.
PPS Curated Resources on AI Impacts and Strategies to Mitigate
Raicu, Irina. “On AI Ethics and the Environment.” Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, Santa Clara University, Sep 18, 2023.

08 AI & Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is paramount. Plagiarism, copyright infringement, unauthorized use of AI tools, and the malicious creation/sharing of manipulated media (deep fakes) are serious matters.

Plagiarism

Presenting the ideas or writings of others as your own is prohibited. This includes content generated by AI tools if it is presented without attribution or as original work when AI use is not permitted. The appropriate level of AI tool use for a given task or assignment is determined by the instructor, considering the learning objectives and skills being assessed. Students should clarify expectations with their instructor when unsure about using AI.

Copyright Infringement

Users must respect copyright laws. AI systems are trained on vast datasets, including copyright-protected work, raising questions about authenticity, authorship, and ownership of AI-generated content. Users are responsible for ensuring their use of AI-generated content complies with copyright and intellectual property rights. Unauthorized loading or transmission of copyrighted software via the network is prohibited.

Responsible AI Use

Adhere to the AI Levels of Use outlined in Section 4. When AI use is permitted with citation, proper attribution is required. Students should be taught to share their writing process, including how they gathered information and integrated it, and submit drafts to emphasize the process over just the final product.

Prohibited Uses

Prohibited uses under the Acceptable Use Policy (8.60.041-AD) includes violating laws, accessing harmful/obscene/confidential/copyrighted materials, causing harm to others (harassment, bullying, damaging equipment), unauthorized access, disclosing passwords, misuse of accounts, and using the network for personal financial gain or non-District business. The following are specific prohibited uses related to AI:

Creating or disseminating manipulated media (including deepfakes) designed to misrepresent, harass, intimidate, bully, defraud, or cause harm to oneself or others. This includes using AI tools to create realistic fake images, videos, or audio.
Attempting to bypass or circumvent District-implemented AI safety “guardrails” or filtering mechanisms.
Using AI tools to access, share, or transmit confidential student personally identifiable information (PII) or other sensitive District data without explicit authorization and appropriate data privacy protections.
Using AI in a manner that violates existing District policies on harassment, intimidation, bullying, or cyberbullying, including the use of media manipulation (deep fakes). Incidents will be reported and investigated according to established procedures.
Creating or possessing AI-generated content that constitutes Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM). Such activity is illegal and will be reported to following PPS policy and practices..

Navigating Unauthorized Use & Misuse

Instances of inappropriate AI use should be addressed through our PPS restorative practices–first by focusing on exploring the harm, co-creating solutions, and re-educating students on responsible AI use and academic integrity. If inappropriate use continues, use the PPS Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Discipline Handbook.
AI-based plagiarism detectors should not be used as they are inaccurate and biased, particularly against non-native English writers.

09 Approved PPS AI Tools

These specific tools linked below are District approved and aligned with student data privacy policies and guidelines.

Generative AI: Creates new content (text, images, music, code) based on prompts.
Examples: Tools that help brainstorm ideas, generate images for presentations, or create music.
Note: Use of digital apps and tools requires District approval and data privacy agreements (DPAs).
Adaptive Learning Platforms: Personalize instruction and practice based on student performance data.
Writing/Language Assistants: Provide feedback on grammar, style, vocabulary, or translate languages.
Tools for Differentiation: Help educators create materials or adjust content to meet diverse learning needs. AI can support personalized learning paths and accessibility features.
Administrative/Educator Support Tools: Automate tasks for staff, such as communication drafting.

For the categories above, see PK-12 Academics for digital curriculum resources, the PPS Digital Toolkit, or the PPS approved AI tools for staff for more information.

10 Guidance for Families

Navigating the age of AI requires a shared understanding and approach between home and school. While AI is rapidly transforming our world, understanding it is key to empowering learners. AI literacy is becoming important for success in future careers and daily life, much like traditional digital literacy.

What is AI, and What is it Not?

It’s helpful to remember that Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, especially Generative AI (GenAI) like chatbots that create text or images, are examples of machine-learning systems. They infer patterns from vast amounts of training data and generate probable outputs through statistical calculations and logic. It is important to understand that AI tools lack understanding, intent, emotions, or ethical reasoning. They are not sentient beings. AI is a tool to augment and support human capabilities, not replace human thinking, creativity, or connection.

Key Considerations for Families

Critical Evaluation is Essential
Because AI systems draw from diverse datasets, they can produce information that is inaccurate, biased, or misleading. AI can also reflect and amplify societal biases present in its data. It’s crucial for learners and adults to develop skills in critically evaluating AI outputs for accuracy, fairness, and bias by cross-referencing information with reliable sources.

Data Privacy and Oversharing Risks
AI tools often collect data from user interactions, and sharing Personally Identifiable Information (PII) with AI tools should be avoided. This is a significant concern in educational settings. Familiarize yourself with school policies and relevant privacy laws like FERPA and COPPA that aim to protect student data when using educational technologies, including AI.

Academic Integrity & Responsible Use
Using AI to generate work and present it as solely one’s own without proper acknowledgement or citation is considered plagiarism. Discussions about honesty, transparency, and citing AI use are becoming increasingly important. AI detection tools are not considered reliable for solely detecting plagiarism.

Understanding AI’s Societal Impact
AI is not isolated technology; it exists within social and political systems and influences areas like decision-making, creative industries, and the environment. Discussions can include the potential benefits and risks to individuals, communities, and the planet. AI’s environmental impact is a concern.

Awareness of Media Manipulation and Deepfakes
GenAI can create realistic fake content like images, videos, or audio. This technology can be misused to spread misinformation, create manipulative materials, or even be used for bullying, harassment, or cyberbullying. Being aware of this and fostering media literacy skills to question and verify online content is crucial.

AI for Different Purposes and Age Groups
AI tools serve various purposes. Many public GenAI tools have age restrictions (often 13+ or 18+). Unstructured GenAI is generally not recommended for young children. PPS will approve specific AI tools for student use, outlining who can access them.

Fostering Key Skills and Attitudes
Beyond technical understanding, AI literacy involves developing durable skills like critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, and collaboration. Curiosity, responsibility, adaptability, and empathy are also vital for effectively working with AI.

Resources

AI in Education: What Parents & Caregivers Should Know
How will AI impact our children's education? While no one can offer definitive answers to this complex question, AI for Education, a mission-driven organization focused on AI Literacy, advocates that the best way to navigate this rapidly changing landscape is with knowledge, regardless of whether your family chooses to embrace, limit, or avoid AI tools altogether. They have developed this guide to help you understand what’s happening, ask the right questions, and effectively support your child’s learning in alignment with your family’s values.

Be Internet Awesome
The Be Internet Awesome Family Guide gives families the tools and resources to learn about online safety and citizenship at home. This guide for families makes it easier to incorporate and practice good digital habits in your everyday lives. Use this guide to help you and your kids discuss, learn, and think about online safety together.

For Families: The AI Literacy Video and Toolkit
This resource is from Day of AI and Common Sense Media. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is shaping our children’s world, from the videos they watch to the tools they use in school. This toolkit is designed to help families have thoughtful, age-appropriate conversations about AI and build the skills kids need to navigate an increasingly digital world.

Google for Education: Guardians Guide to AI
Use this guide to understand more about AI in education, data security and privacy protections, and how to prepare your child for AI’s possible impacts on our future.

Parent Guide to Deep Fakes

Video & Tips for Families from Common Sense Education