If the Ramapo Indian Hills Regional High School District board adopts a draft policy now under consideration, students at both Ramapo and Indian Hills high schools will be allowed to use generative AI tools like ChatGPT in every class — provided they cite that use on their assignments and treat the tools as assistants, not stand-ins for their own thinking.

The board took a procedural first step Monday night by approving Policy 2365 for a "first reading," which puts the proposed rules on the public record and opens a comment window before any final adoption vote. Current district rules — including the existing plagiarism policy — remain in effect until that second vote. The board's next meeting is Monday, July 13.

The proposed plan would allow AI tools "in all grades across all departments," the policy committee reported, but teachers would keep "professional discretion" over how — and whether — the tools appear in any given assignment.[5]

"AI should be used as a tool to support learning, never to replace critical thinking," Superintendent Shauna DeMarco told the board, introducing the policy. "Students and staff remain responsible for evaluating the accuracy, reliability, and appropriateness of AI-generated content."[2]

Students would also have to show their work. "Documentation of AI used in an assignment must be cited," the policy committee report said.[6] Required disclosure may include the AI tool used, the prompts entered, a description of how AI assisted the work, or a formal citation of the AI output. Parents would be "made aware of the district's expectations regarding the use of AI."

Misuse — using AI in ways the policy prohibits — would be handled under a separate academic-integrity policy the district is updating at the same time. That update, which would replace the district's current "plagiarism" policy with a broader academic-integrity rule, also received only its first reading Monday and likewise awaits a second vote.[7]

The proposed policy ends with a warning the committee read aloud as a teaching point in its own right: "AI-generated content should not be considered inherently accurate or authoritative. Users are responsible for verifying the accuracy, reliability, and appropriateness of all AI-assisted work. The district recognizes that generated artificial intelligence tools may produce inaccurate, incomplete, or biased information."[8]

To help teachers learn how to apply the new rules, the board also adopted a new job description Monday night for an "AI and Instructional Technology Specialist." Unlike the policy itself, the position was approved outright. The role is hybrid: a current teacher will keep most of their classroom load but receive a reduced schedule to coach colleagues on AI use.[3] DeMarco described the choice as a deliberate bet on the district's own teachers rather than outside consultants: "This peer coaching model directly supports our board's AI policy and its associated plan, leveraging our internal talent."[4] The district has not yet announced who will fill the role.

The policy was developed "in response to new state guidance," DeMarco said, after months of work by "a diligent district-wide committee of about 28 educators" across subjects and grade levels.[1]