On April 6, new rules were released to BVH students and staff, explaining when AI can and cannot be used in classwork and assignments. Students and teachers say the new district AI guidelines are changing how technology is used in school. While some believe AI can help students study and stay organized, others worry students may depend on it too much and stop thinking for themselves. Through different opinions and experiences, many at BVH believe AI should be used carefully and responsibly.
The SUHSD (Sweetwater Union High School District) AI guidelines establish a clear framework where students must prioritize learning over efficiency by following a three-tiered system of “restrictive,” “moderate,” and “permissive” usage. Under these rules, students are required to seek explicit teacher consent before using AI tools and must document their usage to provide evidence of their own original thinking. Crucial prohibitions include never copy-pasting AI responses as one’s own work, avoiding the input of private or confidential information and never using AI to manipulate media for bullying or harassment. Furthermore, the policy mandates that all AI-generated output be verified for accuracy and bias against independent sources, ensuring that the technology acts as a “tutor” for study aids and research rather than replacement for critical reasoning.
BVH principal Alexander Salazar explained that the main goal of the new AI rules is to create clear expectations for everyone across the district. He said AI is now easy to access, so schools need guidelines that explain how it should be used in education.
“The main goal for the new district AI guidelines is to provide a common language on how we go about using AI in education now that it is accessible to students, teachers and parents. The goal is to make sure everyone understands when it is appropriate, and when it is not, so we can all be on the same page and use it in a reasonable way across the district,” Salazar said.
Salazar also explained that AI can help students study when it is used correctly. According to him, students can use AI to create study guides, review lessons and create practice questions, but they should still focus on learning skills on their own.
“It is important to focus on learning. School teaches students how to solve problems and think critically for the future in situations they will face in life, not just to finish work faster,” Salazar said.
Another concern Salazar shared was that students may lose their own voice if they depend too much on AI. He believes students should continue to develop their own ideas and creativity instead of allowing technology to do everything for them.
“We want students to rely more on their own critical thinking skills instead of letting a machine think for them all the time, because at the end of the day, their own voice, effort and ideas are what truly matter in education and beyond,” Salazar said.
Like Salazar, IB Diploma Core Seminar and English 9 Accelerated teacher Cody Betts also shared concerns about how AI is affecting classrooms and student learning. Betts explained that students sometimes use AI as a shortcut instead of actually learning the material. He believes education should focus on reading, writing and problem-solving instead of depending on technology for answers.
“Education takes work and requires students to actually practice skills instead of letting AI complete everything for them, because if students skip the learning process, then they are not really gaining the knowledge they need for the future,” Betts said.
While teachers and administrators shared concerns, junior Anel Camacho said the new AI rules have not changed the way she completes schoolwork. Camacho explained that AI can still be useful when it is used responsibly and not for cheating.
“I use AI to answer questions and understand topics better when I feel confused during schoolwork. The explanations make it much easier for me to learn. This extra support ensures I actually understand what I am doing instead of getting stuck,” Anel said.
Anel also explained that she has not stopped using AI because of the new rules and that it does not really change how she does her schoolwork.
“I have not stopped using AI because of the new rules, and these rules do not really change how I do my homework or how I study because I still try to do most of the thinking myself. I only use it when I really need help understanding something more clearly,” Anel said.
She also shared her thoughts on how students should use AI responsibly without relying on it too much.
“One example of using AI the right way is not depending on it too much because students should still think for themselves, do their own work and make sure they are actually learning instead of just getting answers from a machine all the time,” Anel said.
Looking ahead, Anel said she thinks AI will continue growing in schools and everyday life.
“I think the rules will change because I feel like we as a society have become too dependent on AI, so it will continue to be developed and used more in the future as it becomes a bigger part of school, work and daily life in general,” Anel said.
She also pointed out that extensive, formal instructions are largely unnecessary for today’s youth, as most students possess a natural familiarity with modern technology.
“[AI] is pretty self explanatory and most students already understand how AI works and how it should be used in school without needing too much extra explanation,” Anel said.
Shifting focus to long-term academic benefits, she elaborated on the various ways advanced software will ultimately serve as a valuable asset for pupils navigating an increasingly digital world.
“AI will help students study more efficiently, keep track of their schedules, manage their time better and stay more organized so they can handle schoolwork and responsibilities in a better way overall,” Anel said.
When considering how these institutional policy updates impact her own daily routine, she noted that the newly implemented restrictions have fundamentally failed to alter her academic habits or cause any personal inconvenience. However school administrators view the situation differently.
“In high school, we are here to help you develop your voice,” Salazar said. “We want it to be your voice instead of AI’s voice.”
