Cherry Hill's school board approved a policy on Oct. 13 that spells out when and how the district's 10,919 students may use generative artificial intelligence, assigning each classroom assignment an AI use level from 0 to 4.
The policy, first reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer, also names SchoolAI as the district's approved generative AI platform. The closed system lets teachers monitor student interactions in real time, Superintendent Kwame Morton told the Inquirer.
Under the new rules, teachers must tell students in writing which AI level applies to every assignment. Level 0 means no AI at all. Level 4 allows students to use AI throughout an assignment, including drafting content, as long as they document their prompts and show their own thinking. If a teacher does not state a level, the default is Level 0.
The policy sets different boundaries by grade. Allison Staffin, the district's director of curriculum and instruction, told the Inquirer that pre-K and kindergarten students are not permitted to use AI independently. The district's own implementation plan does allow teachers at those grades to run AI demonstrations as a shared classroom experience, with students observing and responding verbally.
By second grade, whole-class AI activities are permitted under close teacher supervision. Fourth and fifth graders can begin using AI more fully on specific assignments, but not to generate original work, Staffin said. Middle schoolers gain access to a wider range of AI-assisted tasks. High schoolers can use the full spectrum of AI levels at a teacher's direction.
High-stakes tests default to no AI use at any grade.
Opt-out dropped after equity concerns
The board considered a provision that would have let parents pull their children out of AI use entirely. That idea drew pushback over concerns it would create inequity for so-called "analog" students barred from the technology, the Inquirer reported.
Morton said district officials concluded the opt-out was unnecessary because SchoolAI's closed monitoring system addresses safety concerns. "What we want more than anything is for our students to be safe and understand how to responsibly use the tools," Morton told the Inquirer.
Not all parents agree. Cherry Hill parent Carolina Bevad, a mother of two district students, called the policy "half-baked" and said elementary schoolers should be excluded from AI use altogether. She wants stronger privacy guardrails.
The district has designated an AI coordinator to maintain the approved platform list, handle parent questions and conduct a formal annual review of the plan by April 1 each year. Staff will receive training on both ethical AI use and the SchoolAI platform.
Cherry Hill's approach contrasts with neighboring Haddonfield, which adopted its own AI policy in August banning AI outright in elementary schools. The Cherry Hill policy applies to district-owned and personal devices, on or off school grounds, whenever a student is doing district work.
