Parents Sue School After Son Fails Assignment for Using AI

Jennifer and Dale Harris, the parents of a Massachusetts teenager in the Hingham Public Schools system, are suing over their son’s failing grade. The school accused the student of cheating on a school assignment by using AI.

In an interview with WCVB, Jennifer Harris explained, “They told us our son cheated on a paper, which is not what happened.”

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According to the federal court filing, the Harrises claim their son will “suffer irreparable harm” from the resulting detention and failing grade as he is “applying to elite colleges and universities given his high level of academic and personal achievement.” The filing states that he was barred from being inducted into the National Honor Society.

The parents say that the school did not “have any established rules, policies or procedures for not only the use of artificial intelligence, but what any administrators, faculty or students should do when encountering its use.”

ABC News reviewed the school’s handbook and reports that it states “unauthorized use of technology, including Artificial Intelligence” may be considered an act of cheating or plagiarism. And goes on to spell out that teachers who find out about a student cheating must “record a failing grade for that assignment for each student involved.”

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The Harrises are calling for the school to “exclude any zero grade from grade calculations for the subject assignment” and to “immediately repair, restore and rectify Plaintiff Student’s letter grade in Social Studies to a grade of ‘B.'”

The school told ABC News that it is not commenting to protect the student’s privacy.

Meanwhile, we asked ChatGPT for its take on the situation. Here’s AI’s response:

“It really depends on the context and the guidelines set by the school or teacher. If the use of AI was against the rules and the student didn’t disclose it, then a failing grade might be justified. However, if the assignment was meant to encourage creativity or exploration of tools, a conversation about proper use and academic integrity could be more beneficial. It’s important to consider the intent behind using AI and whether it aligns with the learning objectives.”