Franklin Community Schools is launching a three-year pilot program that will bring artificial intelligence tools into the classrooms, a start as districts experiment with AI in education.
The AI pilot project presented during the school board meeting last Monday will provide “technical knowledge, durable skills and future-ready attitudes required to thrive in a world influenced by AI.” The pilot will also prepare Franklin schools to submit an Indiana Department of Education Digital Literacy Grant in 2026 in May.
“We had a number of faculty reaching out from various disciplines from math to art to English, asking questions about student use of AI and how do we navigate this space as educators,” said Brooke Worland, assistant superintendent. “We didn’t have all the answers.”
The U.S. Department of Education sent a Dear Colleague Letter to grantees and future grantees on leveraging federal grant funds to improve education outcomes through Artificial Intelligence in July. These actions were in response to President Trump’s April 23 Executive Order, Advancing Artificial Intelligence Education for American Youth. Now, school districts are learning the implications, ethics and how AI can be used effectively in learning and professional development.
Franklin’s pilot program will take place over three years. This school year, the district will engage teachers with the purpose of developing a leadership team with representatives in each building to refine policies and procedures regarding student data.
In year two, the district will involve students by developing a student leadership team to engage parents and caregivers in learning. In the final year, they will implement the AI tool called Schoolai district-wide.
To fund the pilot program, the district will use “Employer of Choice” funds, which are non-taxpayer dollars, which will provide $450 stipends for roughly 20 faculty to participate in surveys, professional development workshops and student integration exercises.
School board member David Yount suggested discussing internal policies on the use of AI for students and faculty so it is not abused and used as a tool for “laziness.”
Worland encouraged the board to consider involving high school students in the writing of the policy structure, saying they don’t want AI to be a “cheat code” for school.
“We’ve talked about, in year two as we work with students, finding a way to run some community conversations with parents,” Worland said. “We think it’s important to help parents understand what’s changing in this landscape as well.”
The fear with AI currently is its ability to steal creative thinking, replacing jobs for teachers and human interaction. Elementary technology coach, Carla Taylor, quoted George Couros that “technology will never replace great teachers, but technology in the hands of great teachers can be transformational.”
Some possible advantages Worland and Taylor presented for this pilot program include increased educator efficiency by streamlining classroom processes, including lesson plans.
With Schoolai, teachers can create lesson plans, worksheets and quizzes aligned to Indiana standards with the help of AI assistants and increase opportunities for students to receive timely feedback on work, Taylor said.
“There are tools that help design a lesson plan, and it’s going to increase productivity and efficiency,” Taylor said. “Schoolai will adjust according to what kids ask and it’s very structured. Teachers can see the entire chats as well.”
Schoolai is also fully FERPA and COPPA compliant, focusing on student safety, data privacy and ethics. With the rapid changes in AI, Worland said this begins to answer the questions many educators still have regarding AI and how it can be implemented for the success of students.
“We’re going to do our best to do,” she said. “It still may not be perfect, and we still may not get it right, but we’re going to try, and we’re going to learn.”
Currently, students do not have access to Google’s Gemini or ChatGPT via their Chromebooks, but technology could develop by then to bypass those restrictions, Worland said.
Some school districts in Johnson County have explored AI platforms to help teachers and students, while others are still exploring options.
Indian Creek Schools received the IDOE Digital Learning Grant for 2025, which enabled the purchase and access to MagicSchool AI and ongoing professional development.
“By using MagicSchool AI, teachers gain valuable tools to save time and provide personalized learning to students,” said Andrea Perry, Indian Creek assistant superintendent. “MagicSchool can be used meaningfully to examine student data, differentiate instruction and provide immediate feedback.”
Working with AI has empowered students for the future to thrive in enrollment, enlistment and employment, Perry said. Additionally, AI has provided access to content at individual levels to reinforce and enrich learning.
Greenwood school officials are still exploring their options and are learning more about AI integration for their district, Superintendent Terry Terhune said.
Center Grove School Board passed an AI policy in March, Stacy Conrad, executive director of communications, said. Several teachers are piloting programs in their classrooms, but the district has not yet formally adopted any specific programs.
“Our Teaching and Learning team is always looking for grant opportunities that could help cover costs for new programs,” she said.
In response to the rapid growth of AI in industries, Purdue University announced plans at a summit to introduce a new AI competency graduation requirement with implementation to take effect in fall 2026 for incoming students. This plan is pending approval from the Purdue Board of Trustees.
Copyright (©) 2025 Daily Journal (Franklin) eEdition