When Olentangy's 24,000-plus students walk into classrooms Aug. 20, they'll face a new rule: unauthorized use of AI tools now counts as plagiarism.
Ohio's fourth-largest district adopted Policy 7540.09 on artificial intelligence this summer, meeting a statewide deadline that required every public school district to have an AI policy in place by July 1. The mandate, part of House Bill 96 in the 2025 state budget, applies to all traditional districts, community schools and STEM schools.
Olentangy published its AI policy page on Aug. 13, one week before the first day of school. The policy allows students to use approved AI tools when directed by teachers and requires them to cite or acknowledge AI use when asked. The rule takes effect immediately. The line in the updated 2026-27 student handbooks is blunt: unauthorized AI use is academic dishonesty.
What the district has done so far
At the May 7 board meeting, curriculum supervisors David Hayward and Brent Rohrer presented an "AI Readiness" overview that laid out a four-phase rollout: Build the Foundation, Infrastructure and Procurement, Design and Implementation, and Evaluation.
Their presentation cited Pew Research Center data showing 64% of U.S. teens ages 13-17 use AI chatbots, and an EdWeek Research Center finding that 61% of teachers report using AI in their work. Hayward and Rohrer noted that students are "not asking for bans" but are "asking for guidance," while parents want a "balanced approach."
The district's implementation steps as of May included department-level exploration, security vetting, an AI committee, professional development courses and a staff AI cohort.
State leaves enforcement to districts
The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce developed a model policy by Dec. 31, 2025, but districts could adopt it as-is, modify it or write their own. State officials do not collect individual district policies, and enforcement falls to local administrators, Ohio Department of Education and Workforce spokesperson Lacey Snoke told NBC4.
Ohio Education Association President Jeff Wensing said most policies focus on expectations and guardrails rather than spelling out specific disciplinary consequences, leaving administrators to handle misuse case by case. He compared the rollout to earlier rules governing school-issued laptops.
"AI tools should never replace educator judgment, interaction with other humans, interaction with students, interaction with educators," Wensing told NBC4.
Wensing said the first school year under the mandate will involve a learning curve, and that districts need to invest in teacher training before expecting consistent enforcement.
What parents should know
Under Olentangy's policy, the district commits to protecting student and staff privacy, maintaining academic integrity, providing guidance and training, and keeping humans at the center of decision-making. Students may use AI only with teacher direction and must disclose that use when required.
The academic dishonesty update aligns with the district's existing Policy 5500 on student conduct. Families can review the full AI policy on the district's website.
Pre-K students begin Aug. 25.
