Pending OCSA AI Policies

Ellie Choi

It’s the night before your final paper is due. Staring at a blank page, you have no intro, no outline, no idea how to get started. You could stay up all night, typing feverishly until the sun rises. Or…you could open up ChatGPT. A carefully worded instruction and you’re one click away from a full-length, decently written paper. The hard part is no longer writing the essay; rather, it’s fighting the temptation not to use artificial intelligence.

When ChatGPT entered the scene in 2022, most teachers banned its use. Now, three years later, AI tools are inescapable, and the technology has evolved faster than school policies can keep up. OCSA’s 2025-2026 Student Parent Handbook specifically prohibits plagiarism through the “unauthorized use of artificial intelligence platforms,” which constitutes a violation of the academic honor code. The consequences can include loss of credit on assignments, suspension, or dismissal from leadership positions at OCSA.

Other than this reference to the “unauthorized" use of AI in the Handbook, OCSA has not published a separate AI policy that provides more nuanced guidance. Could there be circumstances where AI would be “authorized,” perhaps even appropriate? An outright ban on the use of AI in schools has become a lot more complicated to enforce as AI tools are everywhere, embedded in social media feeds, search engine results, Grammarly, Quizlet and Microsoft email and word processing applications.

Moreover, some students consider these AI tools to be highly educational and productivity enhancing. An anonymous OCSA 11th grader said, “Obviously it can help you cheat if it’s doing your assignments for you, but it can also help you in ways that I think are fine, like creating quizlets and helping to understand complicated concepts. It can actually be a really good study tool.”

Certain uses of AI, like writing papers or completing your math homework, are clearly inappropriate. “Using AI, especially in Creative Writing or Lit and Comp, can be unethical–its plagiarism. It’s academic dishonesty,” said OCSA Creative Writing Instructor Missie Riojas. 

However, other uses of AI are in the gray area. Teachers are beginning to acknowledge AI as the way of the future and recognize the need to help students use AI in a responsible manner. Riojas said, “I know that those supportive services can be really crucial for some students…I need to help guide you guys to use the supportive technology to do what it's designed to do: support you.”

The world outside OCSA seems to be moving in the direction of greater acceptance of AI, as 72 percent of teens already admit to using AI, according to Common Sense Media. California has recently passed a number of new AI education laws, including AB 2876, which requires AI literacy to be incorporated into math, science and history curriculum, and SB 1288, which establishes a working group to develop guidance for schools on safe AI use

The relevant question is no longer whether schools should allow AI but rather, how can schools help students use AI effectively and responsibly.

Riojas said, “Use it critically and be wise about it. Embracing it is not only helpful to you guys but it's more realistic. If you are serious about your art, and you use AI as a supportive service, it will make you a better artist.”