What goes in a school AI use policy

A school AI use policy works best as a small set of short documents rather than one long one. A complete set has six parts: one page of staff rules, a checklist for approving tools, privacy and consent steps, a plan for AI-made fake images or video, plain notes for parents and for students, and a short staff briefing. Each part should build on your department’s or sector’s policy, say who each rule binds, and be short enough that busy staff will read it.

Build on the policy you already have

Start from the rules your school must already follow. In Victorian government schools, the department’s Generative Artificial Intelligence policy (read 25 September 2026) sets requirements for schools that choose to use these tools. It sits alongside other department policies on software, privacy and digital learning.

Your school’s documents do not need to restate all of that. Their job is to say how your school will meet it: who does what, and which tools are approved. Mark each rule that comes from department policy “In Victorian government schools”, and mark anything wider as your school’s own addition. Catholic and independent schools, and schools in other states, check your sector’s or state’s rules before you adopt a rule. Our article on turning department AI guidance into school practice explains how.

Staff rules on one page

This is the part most staff will read, so keep it to a single page. Start with what staff can do, such as planning lessons and drafting resources. Say plainly that no one has to use AI.

Then list the firm rules, each with its reason. In Victorian government schools, the department’s policy (read 25 September 2026) says schools must direct staff not to put personal information about students or staff into generative AI tools. It also says staff must be directed not to upload or generate images, audio or video of students, staff or parents, and not to create content that mimics a cultural tradition in a disrespectful or offensive way. Staff must also be directed not to use these tools to directly communicate with parents or students, judge student achievement or progress, or write student reports. The same policy says schools should make sure AI use is disclosed when it has an impact on others.

Add your school’s own rules, such as checking all AI output before students or parents see it, and reporting mistakes the same day. A worked example teaches more than a warning. Instead of pasting a student’s essay into a tool, a teacher can ask for three common errors in Year 8 persuasive writing, with a mini-lesson for each. The teacher gets useful material, and no student’s work leaves the school.

A tool approval checklist

Staff need to know which tools they may use, and how to ask for a new one. A checklist puts every request through the same steps: the job, whether the department already provides a technology for it, the vendor’s age limit, the personal information the tool needs, and whether everyone who needs it can use it.

In Victorian government schools, the Software and Administration Systems policy (read 25 September 2026) says schools must check for a Safer Technologies 4 Schools (ST4S) report before adopting new software that handles personal or sensitive information, and act on it. Other schools, check your sector’s or state’s rules. Our guide to approving AI tools sets out the full process.

Privacy and consent steps

In Victorian government schools, the policy (read 25 September 2026) says schools must get opt-in consent from parents and carers before students use a generative AI tool that needs personal information beyond a school email address and a password. Staff and students must not use their school email password to register. Where no personal information is needed, schools should give students the chance to opt out, and are encouraged to tell families how the tool will be used.

Your privacy steps say what counts as a yes in writing, where consent records are kept, what a student without consent does instead, and who to tell if personal information goes into a tool by mistake. For questions to ask about any tool, read where student data goes.

A plan for AI-made fakes

In Victorian government schools, the department’s guidance on appropriate use of generative AI tools (read 25 September 2026) notes that deep fakes can cause serious psychological harm, and that it is important for schools to give the issue weight and handle it with care.

A short plan tells staff what to do in the first hour: put the person first, do not forward the material, tell the staff member who leads incidents, and contact police if anyone is at risk. It should point to your existing incident, child safety and reporting processes, which come first.

Notes for parents and for students

Families want to know which tools their child uses, why, and how the school protects their information. A one-page letter can say this, with a consent slip when a tool needs one.

Students need rules in words they can follow, with different versions for primary and secondary: use approved tools, keep personal information out, never make fakes of real people, check whether each task allows AI, and say when you used it. In Victorian government schools, the department’s guidance (read 25 September 2026) suggests that school leaders work with students, parents and carers on shared expectations, which can go in the school’s Acceptable Use Agreement.

A short staff briefing

A 20-minute session in an existing meeting is enough to launch the rules: why the school is doing this, the firm rules, checking AI output, the tool list, and fakes. A short live demonstration, where staff ask an approved tool for a quiz and look for errors, makes the point better than a slide. The department’s policy (read 25 September 2026) encourages Victorian government schools to prepare staff and students before they bring in a tool.

Keep every part short and dated

Each part should show when it was last checked against policy and list its sources, so anyone can see where a rule comes from. Use roles rather than people’s names, so the documents survive staff changes. Review them yearly and when the policy changes.

A principal should be able to adopt these documents without a lawyer. They are general information, not legal advice, and your own department or sector remains the authority on what binds your school.

We are drafting a governance pack with all six parts, ready to adapt with your school’s name and roles. See what the pack will include.