“Students are already using AI — and we have no policy.”

You are not behind because you are careless; you are behind because the tools moved faster than any governance cycle can. 81% of teachers report their district has no formal AI policy — while a large majority of students already use generative AI. The gap between practice and policy is now the norm, not the exception.

The instinct is to bolt a paragraph onto the acceptable-use policy. That instinct is wrong, because AI in a district is not one thing. It is a classroom tool, yes — but it is also an automated decision-maker in HR screening and scheduling, a data pipeline inside vendor products, and a silent feature update in software you bought three years ago. If your policy only addresses students and chatbots, it is governing a fraction of your actual AI use.

Michigan's MDE guidance (May 2026) is a meaningful first step, aligned to the MICIP continuous-improvement cycle. But it does not provide board-adoptable policy language, an enforceable prohibited-uses list, a risk-tiering rubric, or an appeal process. Treat state guidance as a floor, not a ceiling — and build the rest deliberately. Vague guidance is not policy.