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Aspen View Public Schools has made a new set of rules to handle artificial intelligence in its classrooms, even as local officials state that official curriculum changes remain the job of the provincial government.
The school division recently adopted Administrative Procedure 630 to guide how students and staff interact with emerging technology like artificial intelligence, according to a document that was sent to the Lakeside Leader. The local move comes during a time when school boards across Alberta are waiting for broader provincial rules on technology in the classroom.
When asked how the division is handling the sudden rise of artificial intelligence and whether it is looking at how technology will change the future job market for students, Aspen View Public Schools Communications Officer Ross Hunter pointed to provincial leaders.
“In regard to AI, Aspen View recently adopted a new Administrative Procedure to guide the use of AI within our division,” Hunter said. “Curriculum adaptations are the domain of Alberta Education & Childcare.”
The Lakeside Leader reached out to Alberta Education & Childcare for comment but did not receive a response before press time.
According to a joint press release from the Government of Alberta and the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute, the provincial government previously announced a $2.7 million partnership with the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute to bring artificial intelligence learning kits to classrooms, but those resources are not expected to be fully available to all school boards until spring 2028.
Rather than waiting for the province to update the official curriculum, Aspen View is moving forward with its own rules right now.
The division’s new policy document states that artificial intelligence is already changing the landscape for young people entering the workforce.
“Artificial Intelligence tools can help engage learners through personalized, adaptive, and creative learning experiences, allowing students to develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and digital skills essential for the future world of work,” the policy background section of the document said.
The document also notes that technology is meant to build “real-world skills and confidence in using emerging technologies.” However, it stresses that artificial intelligence is not a replacement for human teachers, but rather a tool to help students adapt.
Under the new rules, local teachers have a lot of extra work to do to check these tools. The procedure requires teachers to double-check everything before it reaches a student.
Teachers must “ensure that AI-created materials are checked for accuracy, biasness, and curriculum alignment before presenting them,” the procedure said.
The policy also said teachers must clearly share “expectations, guidelines, and permitted uses of AI for learning tasks, ensuring students understand when and how AI can be used appropriately.”
The division said the main goal is to “prioritize human-centered learning by using AI to reduce workload in areas that allow more time for observation, conversation, and feedback.”
Even with the goal of reducing workloads, the policy added a strict step-by-step process for staff who want to use new digital programs. A teacher cannot simply bring a new artificial intelligence tool to the classroom on their own. They must first hand in a Privacy Impact Assessment request form to their principal. The request then goes to the Director of Curriculum and Student Achievement to make sure it has teaching value, followed by a technical check by the information technology department and the privacy officer.
For students, the new rules draw a clear line between using technology to study and using it to cheat. Across Canada, the quick rise of these online tools has made grading and assignments a brand-new challenge for local schools.
The Aspen View policy said that breaking academic honesty rules includes “submitting AI output as your own work without permission.”
However, the division does not ban the technology entirely. The document said students can use approved programs for “tutoring” and “study aids.” When using these tools, the guidelines said students must “engage critically and ethically with AI-generated content while ensuring the final product reflects their own learning, originality, and personal voice.” The rules added that students must “always acknowledge the use of AI tools as required.”
Student privacy is another major piece of the procedure, addressing widespread concerns from parents about how large tech companies collect data from minors.
The policy takes a firm stance on personal safety, banning staff and students from entering “personal information about students or staff into external AI systems.”
The division gives teachers an explicit list of what can never be typed into a public online prompt. The document said teachers must “not include names, student IDs, emails, photos, voice, learning support data, behaviour details, health information, or other identifying details in AI prompts or uploads unless explicitly approved.” Furthermore, the policy said “personal or public AI accounts must not be used for school tasks that may include personal data or identifiable information.”
To keep these records safe, the information technology department is now in charge of tracking where data goes. The procedure said the department must ensure that all division data is “stored in Canada or that privacy protections meet the requirements of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIP).”
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