Bullitt County Schools ban ChatGPT as it goes against communication policies and threatens student safety.
Many students are upset with ChatGPT being blocked on BCPS issued chrombooks. Due to issues with communication policies, students can no longer access the website or app. It also poses a threat to the safety of students.
“Mr. Craven used to have us use it to give us feedback on our AP Lang essays before we turn it in, so we could submit our best work. We can’t do that anymore, and it’s very frustrating.” Savannah Derringer said.
Students express their frustration with the ban frequently. It is common to hear complaints coming from students daily in hallways, classrooms, and lunchrooms. Claiming that it is unfair to take away a resource that students use daily.
However, many students use it for cheating on everyday work. From cheating on big assignments and having ChatGPT write full essays, to doing a simple math problem, it has become a part of students’ routine. Over time, kids have become unmotivated to work and just give it to AI to do it for them.
Also, ChatGPT can be used in unprofessional ways that interfere with BCPS communication policies implemented this year. ChatGPT allows users to create shared, collaborative group chats by generating a unique invite link, allowing up to 20 people to join a conversation with the AI. These chats can be completely undetectable, which can lead to communication between students and staff in unauthorized ways. In order to prevent this, the district decided to ban ChatGPT on any school-related devices.
On top of this, it has been proven to be a hazard to personal safety. “A CNN review of nearly 70 pages of chats between Shamblin and the AI tool in the hours before his July 25 suicide, as well as excerpts from thousands more pages in the months leading up to that night, found that the chatbot repeatedly encouraged the young man as he discussed ending his life – right up to his last moments.” Allison Gordon and Ed Lavandera from CNN said.
Teachers explain that it is dangerous for students to have such easy access to such a hazardous site. Overall, this ban is out of concern for the safety of students. While it may be a difficult adjustment at first, it will ultimately be for the best.
