White Plains panel urges measured but urgent approach to AI in classrooms

As artificial intelligence continues to evolve at a rapid pace, White Plains educators and technology experts said schools must take a measured but urgent approach to integrating the technology into classrooms with appropriate safeguards across grade levels. 

City School District community members gathered at the White Plains High School Library Media Center on Thursday for a panel discussion titled “Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the Classroom and Beyond.” The event, organized by the White Plains PTA Council, was moderated by Superintendent Dr. Joseph Ricca.

Dr. Debbie Hand, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, and Rocco Varuolo, Coordinator of Instructional Technology, Library Services and Business Education K-12, joined the panel to explain how the district is responding to what many call the growing “AI revolution” and how the technology is being integrated in classrooms. 

They were joined by Jaclyn Yackly, an account director at LinkedIn who has also worked at Microsoft, and Prof. Matt Ganis, a computer science professor at Pace University and former IBM employee. Both shared insights about how AI is being used in business and higher education. 

“I would say that we are taking a number of positions,” Dr. Ricca said, describing the district’s approach to AI. “We’re interested, we’re exploring, we’re cautious.  

“We want to make sure there are guardrails and that the platforms that we are using are going to protect our students as they engage with these tools at an age-appropriate level. I think we’re being proactive in many ways,” he said. 

Dr. Ricca began the discussion by asking panelists to explain what AI is, how it differs from traditional software and how people interact with the tools in their daily lives, sometimes without even realizing it. 

“Artificial intelligence, at its core, is a machine’s ability to learn, predict and mimic human beings,” Mrs. Yackly said. 

“It’s a big guessing machine,” added Prof. Ganis, who illustrated the concept by asking audience members to predict the next likely word in a phrase, mimicking how AI systems analyze patterns to generate responses. 

Panelists explained that AI tools rely on identifying patterns in massive amounts of data to predict their next output. However, they also emphasized the importance of approaching results from AI systems critically, since the sources of the information are not always clear. 

“You don’t know where it’s getting that information. That’s something that makes it very volatile in a sense because there are so many paths that it takes,” Mr. Varuolo said. 

He contrasted that process with traditional software, which is designed by programmers to operate in predetermined ways based on specific instructions and data. 

Artificial intelligence is already being used in education through tools such as adaptive testing platforms, where the difficulty of questions changes based on how students answer previous questions. 

Dr. Hand and Mr. Varuolo described the district’s extensive vetting process before any software platform is approved for classroom use. District officials examine how programs work, where their information comes from and how they protect student data and privacy to conform with state education law. 

One tool being used in the district is the SchoolAI platform, which can help teachers differentiate and personalize learning for students and allows students to interact with AI in a safe, monitored manner.  

To stay current with the technology, Dr. Hand and Mr. Varuolo recently attended an AI conference hosted jointly by the American Federation of Teachers and the United Federation of Teachers - Teacher Center and continue to research and evaluate emerging educational technologies. 

Dr. Hand said the district is taking a measured approach to integrating AI, while recognizing the urgency of addressing the rapidly evolving technology. 

Panelists also discussed academic integrity and how schools can ensure students use AI responsibly. 

Mr. Varuolo said strong relationships between teachers and students remain one of the most effective safeguards. 

Teachers, he explained, can establish baseline writing samples from students using pen-and-paper assignments and compare them with later work to identify inconsistencies. Panelists also emphasized the importance of clear responsible-use guidelines for any technology used in schools. 

Dr. Ricca asked participants to reflect on potential risks associated with AI and how PTA communities can continue having productive conversations about the technology. Dr. Hand stressed the importance of transparency, so parents and students understand the tools being used in classrooms. 

And Mr. Varuolo encouraged parents to speak directly with their children about their experiences with AI. He suggested parents ask what tools their children are using and why, noting that many students may already be more familiar with AI technologies than the adults around them. 

Audience members asked questions about how the district is preparing students for workplaces increasingly influenced by AI and how schools can ensure students do not fall behind in AI literacy. 

“One of our next steps is to really look at the K-12 continuum and where we can intermittently add AI literacy and AI learning up through the grade levels,” Dr. Hand said. 

The discussion underscored that conversations about AI in education are still evolving, with community members expressing interest in continuing the dialogue in future forums.