AI at The Peck School: A Thoughtful Approach to Innovation in K-8 Education

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming part of everyday life, and its impact on education is undeniable. At Peck, we are approaching AI thoughtfully and intentionally, guided by our values and a commitment to developmentally appropriate, K-8 learning.

As we navigate what many are calling the "fourth industrial revolution"—a technological shift on par with steam power, electricity, and the internet—we believe in being open with our families about both the opportunities it offers and the challenges it brings. Recently, our Educational Technology team gave a comprehensive overview of AI at Peck to families, covering our strategy, AI usage in the classroom, and recommendations for how families can use AI at home. 

Balancing Innovation with Our Core Values

At Peck, we recognize that AI is a transformative force that will shape our students' futures. However, our approach begins not with the technology itself, but with the hallmarks of a Peck education that have always defined us: critical thinking, collaboration, public speaking, creativity, and our InDeCoRe values. 
As we explore AI tools, our guiding question remains constant: How can we leverage innovation while preserving and strengthening the foundational skills and human connections that make a Peck education exceptional?
We're not rushing headlong into AI adoption. Instead, we're creating what we call a "sandbox"—a 2-3 year period for careful teacher training, policy development, and thoughtful implementation. This measured approach builds on six years of experience with machine learning tools and reflects our commitment to developmentally appropriate, student-centered education.

The AI Task Force: A Comprehensive Strategy

To ensure we address AI integration holistically, we established an AI task force with four main charges, each tackling a critical dimension of AI in our school community:

1. Teaching and Learning

This charge evaluates AI platforms for personalized learning, lays groundwork for teaching AI literacy and ethical use, and establishes clear guidelines for appropriate AI use. Our policy is straightforward: AI tools are intended to support learning, not replace human interaction or critical thinking. Students may not submit AI-generated work unless a teacher has given explicit permission for a specific task, and when AI is used, students must critically evaluate the information, cite their sources properly, and adhere to our honor code.

2. Safety and Wellness

Student safety is paramount. This task force investigates how AI can actually enhance campus security and monitor student wellness. We've implemented tools (such as Securly) that monitor student searches, alert personnel to areas of concern, and redirect non-approved AI chats to safe alternatives. We're also upgrading our firewall with AI-powered threat intelligence and migrating our security cameras to cloud-based systems with AI analytics for enhanced campus safety.

3. School Efficiency and Communication

AI isn't just for the classroom—it's helping our administrative teams work more efficiently. From drafting communications to summarizing documents, AI tools are freeing up time for more meaningful human interaction. We're exploring AI chatbots that could help parents quickly access information from our handbook and school policies, making it easier for families to find answers when they need them.

4. Future Proofing Through Professional Development

Perhaps most importantly, we're investing heavily in teacher training. Through our "Tech Tuesdays" professional development sessions, teachers are learning to create AI chatbots, design interactive activities, and integrate AI ethically into their curriculum. We're pursuing certifications in platforms like Flint and Gemini, attending conferences, and maintaining our ISTE affiliation to stay at the forefront of educational technology best practices.

Flint K12: AI in Action at Peck

Among the various AI platforms we've explored, Flint K12 has emerged as our primary tool for classroom AI integration—and for good reason. Flint was built specifically for schools, with student privacy, safety, and pedagogical effectiveness at its core.

What makes Flint special is its "walled garden" approach: it provides the benefits of AI-powered personalized learning while maintaining the safety controls and privacy protections that schools require. Flint's AI teaching assistant, Sparky, adapts to individual student needs while being guided by expert teachers who set the parameters, learning objectives, and guardrails for every interaction.

Perhaps most importantly, Flint offers AI literacy and ethics courses for both students and teachers. We're not just teaching students how to use AI—we're teaching them to think critically about it, understand its limitations, recognize bias, and use it responsibly. These lessons are reinforced in tech classes, advisory themes, and across all subject areas.

Recommendations for Parents

Parents play a key role in helping children develop healthy, responsible AI habits by talking openly about how AI is used at school and what their children are learning. Families should set balanced limits so technology enhances—rather than dominates—childhood, while encouraging kids to question sources and think critically about AI-generated information. It’s also important to distinguish between school-approved tools that prioritize safety and privacy and consumer AI tools that may not. Using school-issued devices at home provides the same monitoring and filtering protections, and exploring AI tools together can deepen learning. For added support, families can turn to trusted resources like Common Sense Media and its AI Literacy Toolkit for Families.

Looking Ahead

AI is not a passing trend—it's a fundamental shift in how we access information, solve problems, and create. Our responsibility as educators is to prepare students not just to use AI, but to understand it, question it, and apply it ethically and effectively.

At The Peck School, we're committed to this work with the same care and intentionality we bring to every aspect of education. We're moving forward thoughtfully, guided by our core values, informed by research and best practices, and always focused on what's best for our students.