AI Integration Sparks Urgent Contract Revisions for Teachers

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the educational landscape, affecting everything from hiring practices to lesson planning for teachers. Despite its transformative potential, only a limited number of school districts have begun to adapt their contracts to address these changes. Most public school teachers are unionized, meaning their contracts outline the specifics of their work conditions. As AI tools become more integrated into the education system, there is an increasing need for contracts to reflect the implications of AI usage—such as the tools teachers are expected to use and their protection against potential misuse.

This summer, contract negotiations in districts such as Ithaca, New York, and Orange County, Florida, faced significant hurdles due to unresolved issues surrounding AI. Concerns include whether AI could replace teachers, override their professional judgment, or evaluate their effectiveness. According to Robbie Torney, senior AI director for the nonprofit Common Sense Media, the lack of clarity around these matters means many teachers may not even be aware of the risks associated with AI.

The National Council of Teacher Quality (NCTQ), which monitors trends in teacher contracts across the largest school systems in the United States, plans to begin analyzing AI-related contract language over the next year. This review will focus on how AI can be used to recruit and retain teachers, as well as enhance instructional capacity. NCTQ President Heather Peske emphasizes that increased protections will likely emerge to guard against the misuse of AI, particularly in ways that could negatively impact teachers’ reputations and interactions with students.

Despite the urgency, a recent study by the RAND Corporation indicates that only about one in ten school districts have established clear policies regarding the use of AI by teachers. Even fewer have addressed the implications of AI in hiring and evaluating educators. This gap leaves many districts unprepared to handle AI-related challenges as they arise.

Some districts that have taken proactive steps to include AI provisions in their contracts have done so in response to specific incidents. For instance, St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, adopted one of the first contracts addressing nonconsensual digital manipulation and deepfakes after a teacher was recorded and altered without her consent. The contract now includes protections for teacher privacy and outlines disciplinary procedures for unauthorized uses of a teacher’s likeness.

“We knew we needed protections,” said Brant Osborn, president of the St. Tammany Federation of Teachers and School Employees. The district has not encountered issues related to deepfakes since adopting the contract, though Osborn notes that contract updates often occur reactively rather than proactively.

As AI technology continues to evolve, teachers’ intellectual property rights are another area of concern. Osborn pointed out that many teachers sell their educational materials online but have outdated contract language governing academic freedom and intellectual property. With contracts originating long before the internet’s public launch, updates are necessary to reflect the current landscape.

Both major teachers’ unions in the United States have begun developing guidelines for AI use among educators. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, highlighted the importance of educators leading the conversations surrounding AI to prevent machines from overshadowing human roles in education. She indicated that future teacher strikes might focus on issues like intellectual property and employee data privacy.

At the annual convention of the National Education Association in July, a resolution was passed to create model collective bargaining language on AI. This would encompass job protections for educators, ethical AI use policies, and professional development on AI literacy to mitigate risks associated with bias and data privacy.

In Ithaca, negotiations stalled over the teachers’ union’s request to prevent the district from using generative AI to replace staff positions. As the district remains hesitant to limit a rapidly evolving technology, Chief Investigative Officer Robert Van Keuren stated that it is essential to keep future options open.

Teachers across various districts are still grappling with the implications of AI integration in their work. Adam Aguilera, a middle-grades English language arts teacher in the Evergreen public schools in Washington, expressed the need for comprehensive training on AI technologies, particularly as schools implement AI tools not just for instruction but also for surveillance.

“This is a crisis, an emerging crisis in education,” Osborn noted. He stated that the focus should not only be on preventing cheating but also on safeguarding students from potential harm caused by AI.

The Rockdale 84 District in Illinois is taking a collaborative stance on AI issues. While their upcoming contract does not impose specific limits on AI, it establishes a committee comprising union and district representatives. This committee will advise the school board on adopting AI tools and the necessary training for educators.

The evolving landscape of AI in education necessitates urgent attention to teacher contracts. As more districts recognize the need for clear guidelines, the dialogue around AI’s role in education will likely intensify, shaping the future of teaching and learning in profound ways.