Aberdeen Public School District

Aberdeen at the Day of AI

Shaping the Future of Artificial Intelligence in Our Schools

Carter Board · Mitchell Golz · Josh Jensen

Boston, Massachusetts · July 17–19, 2026

The Opportunity

A National Fellowship on AI in Education

Aberdeen was selected for the inaugural 2026 Leadership & Innovation Fellowship — a national program from AASA (The School Superintendents Association) and Day of AI, built to help school leaders and students navigate AI in public education.

“AI is changing education, and it’s essential that leaders and students help shape what comes next, together.”
— David R. Schuler, Executive Director, AASA

The Fellowship by the Numbers

50

educational leaders

100

student “senators”

50

states represented

3

days in Boston

Every state sent one leader and two high-school student senators.
South Dakota was Aberdeen.

Our Delegation

Representing South Dakota

Carter Board

Student Senator
Aberdeen Central High School

Mitchell Golz

Student Senator
Aberdeen Central High School

Josh Jensen

Educational Leader
Technology Director, ASD

Two Central High students debated AI policy alongside 98 peers from across the nation.

Where We Were

Boston — During America’s 250th

• ▸  MIT RAISE — worked with researchers on how AI is applied in real school systems
• ▸  Edward M. Kennedy Institute — sessions in a full-scale replica of the U.S. Senate chamber
• ▸  America’s Youth AI Festival — part of the nation’s 250th-anniversary celebration

What the Students Did

From Classroom to the Senate Floor

Students worked through Day of AI’s six-lesson “Student Senate on AI” curriculum, then applied it in a live legislative simulation:

1. Learn
AI in schools & key stakeholders

2. Draft
write a bill from a stakeholder view

3. Markup
committee amendments & votes

4. Debate
present & pass on the floor

The Result

The STUDENTS FIRST Act

S.2026 · 119th Congress (simulated)

Safe Technology Use, Data Privacy, and Ethical Norms for Teaching — Fostering Integrity and Responsible Systems in Teaching.

A framework for the rights, protections, and responsibilities of everyone in a K-12 school when it comes to AI.

Inside the Bill

Five Voices, One Policy

Organized like the Senate itself — general provisions plus four stakeholder subcommittees:

STUDENT

use, privacy & network transparency

PARENT

access, rights & education

TEACHERS

ethical adoption & human oversight

ADMIN

data, management & networks

Every provision required a majority vote of the full Student Senate.

Provisions That Stood Out

Thoughtful, Balanced, Student-Led

• ✓  AI literacy for every student before graduation — misinformation, bias, privacy, appropriate use.
• ✓  Cite your AI, or it’s plagiarism — students need permission and must disclose how AI was used.
• ✓  Teachers stay “human-in-the-loop” — AI can assist, but never replaces judgment or grading.
• ✓  Families can opt out — transparency on tools & data, plus an appeal process for AI accusations.
• ✓  Annual review — administrators must revisit AI policy each year against district values.

Why It Matters Here

Aberdeen Is Ahead of the Curve

• ▸  Our students helped write a framework now going to AASA’s 10,000+ members nationwide.
• ▸  We return with a student-validated starting point for a local AI policy.
• ▸  Aberdeen students proved they can lead a national conversation — not just take part.

Our Ask of the Board

Where We Go From Here

• 1.  Support drafting an Aberdeen AI policy using the STUDENTS FIRST framework.
• 2.  Back AI literacy in the curriculum so every student graduates prepared.
• 3.  Recognize Carter & Mitchell for representing South Dakota nationally.

Thank You

Questions & discussion

Carter Board · Mitchell Golz · Josh Jensen · Aberdeen Public School District

This presentation was built with the help of AI.