Boston — The parents of a Massachusetts high school senior argued Tuesday in federal court in Boston that their son was unfairly punished for using artificial intelligence while researching a history project, hurting his chances of getting into an elite university. .
Lawyers for the couple said the lawsuit points to major unanswered questions about the role of AI in schools. A federal judge did not immediately issue a ruling Tuesday. The parents’ attorney said they initially filed the lawsuit in state court, but the defendants moved the case to federal court.
In one of Dale and Jennifer Harris’ honors courses, their son was paired with another student to write an essay about basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as part of an assignment about famous people known for their civil rights work. He said he chose to write.
At the time, the student’s teacher, Susan Petrie, did not prohibit the use of AI in project preparation or research, according to the complaint.
Nevertheless, when Ms. Petrie discovered that her students were using AI as part of their research, the Harrises were forced to leave the United States because their son’s grades were low and he had to attend Saturday detention sessions. He said he was being shunned from the honor society and was damaging to the university. outlook.
Hingham School Committee Chair Nancy Correnti, who was also named in the lawsuit, said in an email that “out of respect for student privacy and due to the ongoing legal process, we are unable to provide public comment on this matter. I can’t.” That’s a problem at the moment. ”
An attorney representing Petrie did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
“This case is now before the courts,” Peter Farrell, a lawyer representing the parents, said after the hearing. “We will continue to proceed through the court process.”
School officials defended their actions in court filings, saying the lawsuit was not about more serious disciplinary action, such as expulsion or suspension.
He received a relatively lenient and measured reprimand for “serious violations, misuse of artificial intelligence in the project, and, just as importantly, failure to mention the use of AI. In short: , he deceived and plagiarized himself and other students,” the defendants said in their filing.
According to the complaint, Petrie relied in part on a website designed to help flag copies produced by AI, and the use of AI when conducting spot checks on students’ work. discovered. The website was discovered in some of the endnotes of the book.
The paper was not completed after the teacher discovered the use of AI. High school students received zero points and were allowed to try again. I was given a D on my second effort.
The lawsuit claims the use of AI was not specifically prohibited by the school and seeks to restore the student’s social studies grade to a B. They are also asking the court to expunge their disciplinary records.
The lawsuit alleges that the teacher’s actions “violated the minor son’s civil rights and right to equal educational opportunity by denying him procedural and substantive due process.” According to the lawsuit, the universities the students wanted to attend, such as Stanford University, do not consider applicants with a history of disciplinary violations.
The lawsuit also alleged that the school’s student handbook did not include a policy regarding AI.
The lawsuit asks the court to prevent the defendants from calling the use of artificial intelligence fraudulent. They also ask the court to order school officials to no longer ban the student from joining the National Honor Society.
Farrell said content generated by AI is not the product of another human being and cannot be classified as plagiarism.
“Rather, it represents an evolving collaboration between human creativity and machine assistance, a relationship that society must grapple with as AI continues to be integrated into educational environments,” he said in a statement. .
“There is currently a lot of discussion about the appropriate role of AI in public schools, and unfortunately these students are caught in the middle of this transition,” Farrell added.
