{"resourceId":"evanston-eths-teacher-authorized-ai-disclosure-guidelines-20261020","versions":[{"version":"external-53633ec026158490214135aa911aab9195c8518c73f1edd003df82783ca63748","resource":{"id":"evanston-eths-teacher-authorized-ai-disclosure-guidelines-20261020","title":"Evanston Township High School lets students use AI only with teacher authorization and a written disclosure, after two years of drafting and a June ransomware attack","organization":"Evanston Township High School District 202 (reported by The Daily Northwestern)","sector":"K-12 high school student AI use policy, academic integrity and teacher professional development","geography":"Evanston, Illinois, United States","publishedAt":"October 20, 2026 (The Daily Northwestern)","publicationDate":"2026-10-20","eventDate":null,"sourceName":"The Daily Northwestern","sourceLabel":"Student newspaper report with on-record district technology staff","sourceUrl":"https://dailynorthwestern.com/2026/10/20/city/new-eths-guidelines-to-allow-ai-use-in-class-under-teachers-discretion/","evidenceClass":"independent-reporting","outcomeClass":"emerging","topics":["governance-procurement","accessibility-workforce","operating-model"],"finding":"Following a new Illinois policy on AI in K-12 schools, ETHS updated its guidelines for 2026-27: students may use AI for coursework only if the teacher authorizes it and the student attaches a disclosure statement; unauthorized or undisclosed use is treated as plagiarism or academic dishonesty, with penalties up to failing the course. Staff said the guidelines took two years to finalize and rolled out while the school remains in 'triage mode' after a June cyberattack. A teacher PD session, 'Protecting Learning in the Age of AI,' is planned for late October. ETHS is a Google for Education Reference District with access to Gemini's Guided Learning mode; staff encourage teachers to use Google Docs revision history to see how student writing changed. The instructional technology director framed AI as a free alternative to paid tutoring.","sledRelevance":"A concrete high school policy that pairs teacher authorization with student disclosure and process evidence, under a new state policy and while recovering from a cyberattack.","evidence":"News report quoting district instructional technology staff and a student; no usage data, outcome measures or policy text reproduced.","architectureImplications":"Relies on the Google Workspace for Education stack: Gemini Guided Learning for students and Docs revision history as evidence of the writing process. Interpretation: integrity enforcement is being designed into the productivity suite rather than bought as a separate detector.","governanceImplications":"Teacher-level authorization with mandatory student disclosure; undisclosed use handled through existing academic dishonesty rules; policy developed over two years with staff input.","securityPrivacyImplications":"The rollout coincided with recovery from a June ransomware attack; the report does not describe AI-specific data protections. Interpretation: AI governance and cyber recovery compete for the same small technology team.","caveats":"Student newspaper account; the policy document itself was not opened. The specific Illinois policy referenced is not named in the article. No measured outcomes on integrity cases or learning.","streamIds":["k12"],"roles":{"sales":"Sales framing: ETHS shows a high school settling on teacher authorization plus student disclosure, enforced through document history rather than detectors, while still in post-ransomware triage. That supports a bounded offer to turn a written AI policy into classroom-ready routines and teacher training without adding a new tool. Do not claim the approach reduces cheating or improves learning; the report has no outcome data.","engineering":"Engineering framing: enforcement leans on existing Google Workspace features, Gemini Guided Learning and Docs revision history. Pre-sales should confirm how revision history is retained and who can view it, whether Gemini settings differ by course, and how disclosure statements are captured. Proof of value is a documented configuration that lets a teacher authorize AI per assignment and review process evidence.","delivery":"Delivery framing: operationalize per-assignment AI authorization and disclosure. Provide templates for disclosure statements, a teacher checklist for reviewing revision history, and a referral path for suspected misuse. The instructional technology team owns this with academic leadership. Acceptance means teachers can apply the policy consistently. Risks include an overloaded team still recovering from a cyberattack and uneven teacher adoption."},"roleDetails":{"sales":{"customerProblem":"A high school has a written AI policy but needs consistent, low-cost classroom routines for authorization, disclosure and review.","stakeholders":["Director of instructional technology","Assistant principal for academics","Department chairs","Teachers","Families"],"discoveryQuestions":["How do teachers signal which assignments allow AI?","Where are student disclosure statements stored?","How are suspected undisclosed-use cases reviewed today?","How much capacity does the technology team have after recent incidents?"],"valueHypothesis":"Clear routines and templates could make the policy enforceable without buying detectors; not measured here.","potentialEngagement":"A six-week policy-to-practice package: disclosure templates, teacher review checklist and two PD sessions.","unsupportedClaims":["No evidence of reduced cheating.","No learning outcome data.","Policy text not reviewed."]},"engineering":{"fit":"Fits districts on Google Workspace for Education using Gemini with student access.","architectureIntegration":"Use Docs version history and Classroom assignment settings to capture process evidence and per-assignment AI permissions.","prerequisites":["Workspace admin access","Gemini student settings inventory","Retention settings for Docs history"],"constraints":["Illinois state AI policy requirements","Technology team capacity after ransomware recovery","Google feature changes"],"security":"Review who can access revision history and disclosure statements and align retention with student records rules.","proofOfValue":["Per-assignment AI permission visible to students","Revision history available for sampled assignments","Disclosure statements captured in one place"]},"delivery":{"work":"Turn the AI guidelines into consistent per-assignment authorization, disclosure and review routines.","dependencies":["Teacher PD time","Workspace configuration","Academic integrity process owners"],"ownership":"Instructional technology team with the assistant principal for academics.","skillsAdoption":"Late-October PD on when AI supports learning; follow-up coaching by department.","governanceCheckpoints":["Policy-to-routine review","Mid-semester sample of integrity cases","End-of-semester policy review"],"acceptanceCriteria":["Proposed: every department uses the disclosure template","Proposed: integrity referrals cite process evidence rather than detector scores","Proposed: teacher survey shows policy is understood"],"risks":["Team overload during cyber recovery","Inconsistent teacher authorization","Over-reliance on revision history as proof"]}},"retrievedAt":"2026-10-20T22:00:19-05:00","enrichedAt":"2026-10-20T22:04:43-05:00","enrichmentBasis":"retrieved source","accessibilityWorkforceImplications":"Staff framed AI as a free substitute for paid tutoring, an equity argument; PD is limited to a planned session so far.","procurementImplications":"No new AI product purchase described; relies on existing Google for Education tools.","operatingModelImplications":"Teacher discretion within a school-wide disclosure rule, supported by the instructional technology team.","sourceVerification":{"openedUrl":"https://dailynorthwestern.com/2026/10/20/city/new-eths-guidelines-to-allow-ai-use-in-class-under-teachers-discretion/","referenceExcerpt":"students may use AI for coursework if the teacher authorizes it and the student attaches a disclosure statement explaining their use of AI.","promptVersion":"sled-research-v4.0","model":null,"basis":"agent-reported inspection"}}}]}