AI in Schools

Data classifier

Can I Type This Into AI?

Select the kinds of information you plan to enter into an AI tool. The result shows the most restrictive tier that applies, its rule, and the step to take before using it.

Private by design: everything runs in your browser. Nothing you select is sent, stored, or seen by anyone but you.

Read the full four-tier chart

Information you plan to enter

Select every kind of information you plan to enter into an AI tool. Use the search box to narrow the list.

Showing all 31 items · 0 selected

GREENGenerally Safe to Use
YELLOWUse with Caution
REDApproved District Tools and DPA Required
BLACKProhibited Without Explicit District Legal Authorization

Reference chart

What Can I Put Into an AI Tool?

The full four-tier chart and the Three-Question Test from the toolkit’s Data Classification Poster.

Letter size, portrait, with write-in lines for your district’s approved tools list, contact, and incident report. Post in classrooms, teacher workrooms, and technology areas.

GREENGenerally Safe to Use

Rule: May be used in approved tools (and most AI tools) with teacher review. No student PII.

Examples:

  • Generic lesson plans, unit outlines, learning objectives
  • Publicly available standards (CCSS, NGSS, state standards)
  • Fictional student profiles created by the teacher
  • Instructional strategies, accommodation frameworks (generic)
  • Rubrics, assessment question banks, activity templates
  • Professional development materials and agendas
  • General parent newsletter content (no student-specific information)
  • Public domain texts and resources

Before using: Confirm no student names, IDs, school-specific details, or sensitive context are included.

YELLOWUse with Caution

Rule: Use only with complete de-identification. Approved tools preferred. Verify de-identification is real.

ExampleCaution
Anonymized student work (name and all identifying details removed)Must verify de-identification is complete. Name removal alone is not enough
Aggregated class trends (“approximately 60% scored below grade level”)Do not use if class size is fewer than 10 students
Non-identifiable descriptions of learning needs (“students who struggle with inference”)Do not add school, teacher, grade, or other identifying context
Class-level performance ranges (no names, no IDs)Do not specify school, teacher, or program details

Before using: Ask: could someone in my school community identify a specific student from this description, even without a name?

REDApproved District Tools and DPA Required

Rule: Do not enter into public, free-tier, or unapproved AI tools. Approved tools with active Data Privacy Agreement (DPA) only.

Examples:

  • Student names and student ID numbers
  • Grades, assessment scores, and report card information
  • Attendance records
  • IEP goals, 504 plan details, disability status or classification
  • Health information, medications, medical conditions
  • Behavioral records, disciplinary referrals
  • Counseling notes, social-emotional support records
  • Family circumstances (immigration, custody, foster care, economic status)
  • ELL status when the student could be identified
  • Demographic data tied to identifiable students

Before using: Verify the tool is on the district approved list and has a current, signed DPA.

BLACKProhibited Without Explicit District Legal Authorization

Rule: Do not enter into AI tools under any circumstances without formal district legal and privacy review and explicit written authorization.

ExampleWhy
Full IEP or 504 plan documentsMost sensitive education record; IDEA confidentiality
Psychological evaluations and psychoeducational reportsClinical record; not appropriate for AI processing
Medical records and detailed health documentationMay be HIPAA-covered; cannot be reversed if breached
Threat assessment recordsHighest safety risk; strict legal confidentiality
CPS / child protective services case informationLegal confidentiality beyond FERPA
Biometric data (fingerprints, voice prints, retinal scans)Cannot be changed if breached; state biometric laws
Student photographs for AI facial recognition or generationFERPA; state biometric laws; civil rights risk
Audio/video for emotion or engagement detectionSurveillance risk; FERPA; civil rights; parent rights
Data for automated consequential decisions without human reviewIDEA; due process; civil rights

If in doubt, don’t enter it. Ask your district technology or privacy coordinator first.

The Three-Question Test

Before entering anything into an AI tool:

  1. Is this tool approved? Check the district approved tools list.
  2. Is this data identifiable? Could someone in the school community identify a student from this?
  3. Could this output affect a student? Grade, placement, services, discipline, or opportunity?

If you can’t answer YES to approval and NO to identifiability and NO to consequential use, stop and ask first.

K-12 AI Privacy and Data Protection Toolkit, Version 1.0.