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K–12 AI Use Guidelines · Prompt-Ed

K–12 Student AI Use Guidelines

A free, public-facing district implementation template. Customize it for your community and start the real work.

Free to adapt CC BY NC SA 4.0 Reviewed annually
40+
Schools
Already At Work

These guidelines are rolling out into classrooms.

Being implemented across 40+ schools in the Paradise Valley Unified School District — reaching elementary classrooms, middle school syllabi, high school assignments, and family conversations. A real framework, moving into real schools.

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What's in This Template
12 sections — ready to adopt, adapt, or present to your board
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01
Vision
Core principles and district commitment to responsible AI.
02
5 AI Use Tiers
Assignment-level framework from no AI through full exploration.
03
Educator Guidance
How teachers can use AI to support — not automate — their work.
04
Standards Alignment
ISTE Standards for Students mapped to AI literacy goals.
05
Digital Literacy
Teaching digital citizenship alongside AI literacy.
06
Data Security & Privacy
FERPA, COPPA, PII protections, and approved tool vetting.
07
Academic Integrity
Transparency over detection — teaching students to work ethically with AI.
08
Risks & Ethics
Misinformation, bias, deepfakes, equity, and implementation challenges.
09
FAQs
16 questions from parents, teachers, and administrators.
10
Glossary
38 key terms — from LLMs to productive struggle.
11
Resources
27 frameworks, standards, and research sources.
12
After Adoption
What comes next — structure, training, programs, and Phase 2.
Step 1
Create your draft
Interactive — Try It ↓
Customize for Your District
Generate a complete working draft of the K–12 Student AI Use Guidelines for your school or district.

This template is yours to use. Fill in your district information and the tool generates a personalized cover page — ready to copy, present to your board, and share with your community. No account required.

2
Implement it
9 steps to take this template from draft to district-wide adoption
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Guidelines adopted without stakeholder input don't stick. Here's a recommended process for making this template yours.

1
Form a Review Committee
Include teachers across grade bands, administrators, parents, students (if age-appropriate), school counselors, and IT/data privacy staff. Diverse perspectives surface blind spots.
2
Read the Template as a Team
Focus discussion on the tiers, academic integrity, and data privacy sections — these generate the most debate. Use the FAQs to anticipate parent and teacher questions.
3
Customize the [ADAPT] Sections
Fill in your approved AI tools list, feedback contact, and any local policy language. Use the customization tool above to generate your cover page. Align language with your existing academic integrity and technology use policies.
4
Pilot with a Small Group
Test with 2–3 teachers across different grade bands for one quarter before full rollout. Collect feedback on what's clear, what's confusing, and what's missing. Adjust before scaling.
5
Communicate to Families
Share the guidelines publicly — this framework is designed to create shared language between teachers, students, and parents. Use the parent FAQs as the basis for family communication. Consider a parent night or newsletter.
6
Train Staff
Professional development on the tier system, documentation expectations, and the AI Classroom Toolkit. Teachers need practical tools, not just policy documents. Focus on shifting from policing misuse to mentoring responsible use.
7
Set a Review Cycle
Plan to revisit annually. AI tools and research evolve rapidly — your guidelines must keep pace. Assign an owner. Schedule the review before school starts, not after problems emerge.
8
Share It Widely
These guidelines work best when everyone sees them. Consider: posting the full document on your district website, printing a one-page tier summary for classroom walls, including the link in back-to-school packets, adding it to your family handbook, and referencing it in syllabi and assignment sheets. The shared language only works if it's actually shared.
9
Connect to Phase 2
Guidelines are the starting line, not the finish. The Intelligent Technology in Education Framework provides the instructional system for what comes next — building the cognitive capacities that make good AI use possible.