Parents Sue School Over AI Usage Penalty for Student

By Neal Riley, Mike Sullivan

HINGHAM, Massachusetts — In a controversial incident, the parents of a Hingham High School student have filed a lawsuit against the school’s administrators and teachers. The case arises after their son was disciplined for using artificial intelligence (AI) in a school project.

The lawsuit, which was submitted in federal court by Dale and Jennifer Harris, claims that the student experienced “arbitrary grading” and was not accepted into the National Honor Society (NHS) due to an alleged violation of academic integrity involving his use of AI. The plaintiffs argue that the school’s student handbook does not clearly outline rules regarding AI usage, making it unjust to impose punishment in this case.

The lawsuit seeks a court order to change the student’s Social Studies grade to a “B” and to remove any disciplinary records related to his use of AI. Additionally, the parents want the student's usage of AI to not be categorized as “cheating” or “academic dishonesty.”

“He is applying to elite colleges and universities given his high level of academic and personal achievement,” the lawsuit asserts. It continues to claim that without the court's intervention, the student will face imminent and irreparable harm to his educational future.

Jennifer Harris expressed her strong belief in her son’s capabilities, stating, “This is a kid I really believe can do anything he wants.” She noted that he is considering applying to some of the top schools in the country, with Stanford being his first choice.

The family background includes a writer mother and a father who is a teacher. In an honors class, the student collaborated with a partner on a project that involved writing a paper about the famous basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and his civil actions. During their research, they utilized AI tools to generate notes and outline ideas for the paper, but did not let AI write the entire assignment.

When asked if she thought using AI constituted cheating, Jennifer Harris firmly stated, “Absolutely not. First of all, the school had no policy on it yet.” She added that her son defended his position to the school, explaining that AI is not equivalent to cheating or plagiarism. Jennifer believes that AI-generated content is still the property of the person who created it.

Despite their defense, the school instructed both students to redo the assignment individually and on a different topic. The Harris family discovered through court documents that the school had initially decided to give the student a maximum grade of 65, which seemed strange, as his partner received a 75 for their paper.

As a consequence of the situation, the student was unable to complete his college applications due to the ongoing disputes with the school. This has hindered his chances for early or rolling admissions to top colleges.

Fortunately, there has been a development regarding his acceptance to the NHS. The organization has since decided to reevaluate its initial ruling.

“We have already gotten something out of it, which is his induction into the National Honor Society,” mentioned the family’s attorney, Peter Farrell. He pointed out that the NHS initially denied the student because of the AI incident but later found that seven other accepted candidates had also faced disciplinary actions, including instances of AI use. As a result, the student has been allowed to reapply.

The lawsuit names several entities as defendants, including the superintendent, various school administrators, social studies teachers, and the Hingham School Committee. A representative for Hingham Public Schools declined to comment on the lawsuit, citing the need to respect the privacy of the student involved and the ongoing litigation.

Furthermore, the Harris family is requesting that the court mandate the defendants to participate in training focused on the effective use and incorporation of artificial intelligence within educational settings.

Reports from CBS News indicate that while some school districts have opted to prohibit students from using AI tools like ChatGPT, others are advocating for the integration of such technologies in student work. Columbia Business School sociology professor Dan Wang has emphasized the importance of preparing students for a future workforce that will likely encourage using generative AI tools.

lawsuit, AI, education