AI may not be used for schoolwork unless a teacher allows it

What happened

Walton's only published rule on artificial intelligence sits in the academic misconduct section of the code of conduct, inside the district-wide safety plan the board adopted on 25 August 2026. It makes 'using generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools to complete assignments, write papers, or generate any content unless explicitly permitted by the instructor' academic misconduct, and says such use without disclosure or authorisation 'will be viewed as academic dishonesty and will be treated as plagiarism'. The default, in other words, is no AI for schoolwork unless the teacher says yes, and the consequence is the plagiarism consequence.

Why it matters to families

Students need to know where the line is before they cross it, because the penalty is the same as copying someone else's work. The rule leaves the decision with each teacher rather than setting one districtwide standard for what counts as allowed use, so it will feel different from class to class. There is no separate AI policy or guidance document: the technology page, the instructional technology plan, the Smart Schools investment plan, the acceptable-use policy list and the plain-language code of conduct were all checked and none mentions AI.

The evidence

The clause is published verbatim in the code of conduct within the 2026-27 district-wide safety plan. Administrators told the board at the 16 June 2026 public hearing that the updated plan 'incorporated new legal requirements regarding student cell phone restrictions and academic use of AI'.

The source