The Decoder reports today thatUSAA Massachusetts student has been charged withUnspecified use in operations AI technologyThe federal court upheld the decision, which penalized the school. This case may provide important legal guidance for schools on how to manage AI use.
According to court records, a student at Hingham High School submitted a history assignment thatPartially completed but unspecified with Grammarly's AI capabilities. The school detected the violation through the Turnitin software, and problems with the assignment itself were exposed: citing the AI fictional booksIt also mentionsNon-existent authors"Jane Doe".
The school took drastic measures in response: the studentZeroes were awarded for two parts of the assignment, and was required to stay in school on Saturdays, which resulted in a grade in his history classDecrease from B to C+.
The student's parents were dissatisfied with the punishment and initiated legal action. They emphasized their child's consistently excellent academic performance, includinghigh score SAT gradesand criticized the school's AI policyNot clear enough., worried that the punishment wouldImpacting your child's chances of applying to top colleges.
However, the court ultimately upheld the school's position. The judge found that the school had made it clear through its curriculum thatAcademic Integrity and Rules for AI Use, with particular reference to the English classExplicitly require disclosure of AI usage.
The ruling states.The school's sanction was reasonable and consistent with its regulatory authorityand emphasizesCourts should try to avoid interfering with school disciplinary decisionsunless the decision is too arbitrary.
1AI has learned from the report that local educational institutions are making ongoing adjustments in response to the use of AI technology. Some teachers are spotting AI interventions by embedding implicit prompts in assignments or designing targeted tasks; other schools are allowing students to use AI tools but requiring detailed documentation of the process.
And this school took a compromise: Students can use AI for research or ideation, but are required to disclose any direct use.
This ruling demonstrates that schools have the right to penalize students for related infractions, even if they do not yet have a specific AI policy in place.