The use of AI in education is uncharted territory. This legal case is becoming a catalyst for discussion about its use in schools.

As artificial intelligence (AI) companies rapidly release new models and major tech firms restructure to accelerate their initiatives, the debate over the use of AI in schools is intensifying.

A Massachusetts family is suing a teacher at Hingham High School, along with district faculty members, after the school claimed their son cheated when he utilized AI on a history project and dropped his grade on the assignment to a "D."

The family’s attorney argues the student had used AI similar to a Google search engine, and only in the outline stages. There remains an open dispute between the two parties as to what the school's AI policy is and whether it was breached. 

The incident brings attention to the use of AI in schools and what's acceptable.

As parents, we hold our children's hands as they navigate the world, hoping they will be safe, loved, and valued. We send them to school expecting a safe community to support their academic journey.

Nex Benedict, a 16-year-old non-binary student, attended Owasso High School in Oklahoma, where instead of being received by a safe and welcoming community, their family says they were relentlessly bullied for months over their gender identity.

On February 7, during an altercation with three other students in the bathroom, Benedict reportedly blacked out while they were beaten on the bathroom floor. They died the following day.

Nineteen days later, the Associated Press reports more than a dozen Owasso students walked out of class in protest. They say they want action against discrimination and bullying of transgender and nonbinary students. There have been vigils held in Oklahoma and across the country.

Right now, Congress is vastly divided over a plan to fund the government. And if lawmakers can't get their acts together, the government could shut down this weekend.

The Senate reached a stopgap spending agreement late Tuesday afternoon that would keep government agencies open through November 17. The short-term bill would fund the government at present levels, but it remains to be seen if it will pass through both a Senate amendment process and a contentious House by the time the deadline hits—this Saturday at midnight.

Democrats and Republicans in the House meanwhile are even farther apart in their own effort to come up with a temporary spending bill.

If a shutdown occurs this weekend or is kicked down the road a month from now, parents will feel a strain that many have felt before. Programs affected include those that have a disproportionate impact on parents, families, and children from low-income households. If a shutdown does happen, here is what parents need to know.