With Parents Divided on Artificial Intelligence, Here’s How Schools Can Build Trust

Parents’ Top Concerns About AI in Schools

The poll findings reveal that some parents are concerned about academic integrity. “They’re worried that AI could make cheating easier or might weaken students’ critical thinking, writing, math and collaboration skills,” Williamson says.

The poll also highlights big concerns about how AI is being used. More than 70% of parents say they worry about biased evaluations of student work, threats to student data privacy and unequal access to AI tools that could give some students an unfair advantage.

More Communication Is Needed, Parents Say

Another key finding is that while AI is already being used in most schools, policies and messaging haven’t kept up. Most parents said either their child’s school lacks AI policies (35%) or they are unsure whether such policies exist (37%).

“While AI use is happening, communication from schools is lagging, which leaves families feeling like they're playing catch up on something that directly affects their child's learning,” Williamson says.

“Parents don’t feel like they have enough information to judge whether AI use is appropriate, safe or even beneficial,” she adds. “And I think they’re uncertain, like the rest of us, where the boundaries are, what teachers are expecting or how schools are really monitoring the integrity of its use.”

Matthew Joseph, assistant superintendent of technology and learning at New Bedford Public Schools in Massachusetts, says the survey results didn’t surprise him, because there’s so much misunderstanding about the role of AI in education.

“I’ve seen it with both families and staff — they think AI is basically Google on steroids and cheating for kids,” Joseph says. “That’s the very outskirts of the understanding of what is happening in schools with AI.” 

How Schools Can Build Parent Confidence in AI

Strengthening parent trust in AI depends on the intentional choices districts make with families in mind, Williamson and Joseph say. Here’s what they recommend: 

Involve Families Early in the Process

Joseph says his district is in the early stages of discovery on the best ways to use AI, in addition to drafting guidelines on AI use in schools. As part of the process, he and his team are surveying both staff and community members on their views about AI. “We’re trying to be transparent and understand where people feel comfortable and don’t feel comfortable.” 

Schools need to match innovation with “transparency and strong guardrails,” Williams says. Families want to see that schools are actively figuring out what “responsible, ethical, equitable AI use looks like.”

Communicate Early, Clearly and Often

“Silence creates a lot of uncertainty,” Williamson says. Families are asking for answers to basic questions: “What are the rules? How is student data being protected? What counts as appropriate use?”

Joseph says he plans to have layered communication (including the secure school-to-home communication platform ParentSquare), open forms by grade band and messaging on the local public access TV channel.

Prioritize Student Privacy

It’s important for parents to know that the biggest privacy safeguard in schools comes from the fact that K–12 AI vendors must sign strict data privacy agreements, our experts say.

“One of the advantages of a paid platform is that we can upload all of our curriculum so that when there are prompts generated, it’s pulling from our own work, especially around lesson planning, expectations and Massachusetts state standards,” Joseph says.

Having a dedicated platform with data privacy protections and district materials built in means that “what it’s going to output is going to be more aligned with what we believe in and work through as a district,” he says. 

Use AI as a Tool for Equity

Joseph says while student privacy is a top concern, equity “is right there next to it.” 

“All students have devices, and all of them have accounts, so whatever we choose to roll out, it will be for all. It won’t be just for specific groups of classes or levels,” he adds.

He says one often-overlooked aspect of the equity conversation is who gets access to tutoring outside of school. Families who can afford private tutors give their children extra academic support, which raises a fair question: Is that cheating, that a student gets to bring their essay to a tutor and get help correcting it?

“What we're hoping for on the positive side of AI is that every student will have an opportunity for a tutor, a thought partner for brainstorming and different things,” Joseph says.