“ChatGPT… Write me a three-paragraph essay on the impacts of the American Revolution.”
In just seconds, a student can generate a detailed, AI-written essay on the American Revolution, bypassing the hours traditionally spent researching and writing.
Across the nation, the rise of AI platforms like ChatGPT has transformed how students approach schoolwork. It has become increasingly common for teachers to receive assignments completed with the assistance of generative AI, raising concerns about academic integrity, plagiarism, and the loss of critical thinking skills. Teachers have varying opinions on AI, and the absence of clear guidelines has led to inconsistencies across classes. As a result, students are left uncertain about whether AI is an acceptable tool to use.
The lack of guidelines on how to navigate generative AI platforms has blurred the lines of what constitutes cheating. Is it dishonest to write a rough draft and ask AI to refine it? What about using AI to generate a detailed outline for an essay?
Superintendent Dr. Morton gathered a group of students from both Cherry Hill East and West to formulate the Superintendent Student Advisory Council (SSAC). One specific student group in the council is focusing on formulating guidelines for what they believe are important areas of focus in the creation of a Cherry Hill district AI policy. They conducted three separate optional surveys for students, teachers, and parents regarding the use of AI in schools.
Among the 77 student respondents, 75 percent reported using AI platforms to complete schoolwork. The three most common uses of generative AI included clarification, studying for tests, and brainstorming ideas.
Of the 163 parent responses, 42 percent expressed full opposition to AI in schools, while 48 percent supported AI use with guidance and restrictions.
Among 30 teacher responses, 73 percent agreed that AI should be used but with restrictions and methods to detect AI usage.
For educators nationally, there was a sharp increase in the use of AI detection websites. According to a study conducted by the Center for Democracy and Technology, there was a 68 percent rise in teachers using AI detection tools. Teachers have rushed to these detection websites, marking students for cheating and even supporting district-wide bans on ChatGPT.
Across the country, 63 percent of teachers reported students getting in trouble for alleged AI use, an increase from 48 percent in the previous school year. However, AI detection tools have proven unreliable and have affected students from all schools. The rise in AI use has also led to an increase in false accusations made against students, increasing frustration across the student population in various schools.
“A teacher got mad at me because he thought I used ChatGPT for my assignment because [they] said the vocabulary I used ‘was too good,’” said Madison Schwartz (’27).
At Eastern Regional High School, Sophia Marquez (’27) spoke about her personal experience with a teacher who has been cracking down on the use of AI for essays. “[My teacher] pulled me aside and said ‘You pasted something here and it just doesn’t sound like you. It sounds like ChatGPT was used.’ I never used ChatGPT, I just pasted in my pre-written thesis but now I have to send in my evidence that I did not use it,” said Marquez (’27).

At North Shore High School in New York, Sam Hsieh (’25) shared how regardless of state, teachers have been collectively unfairly accusing students of utilizing AI tools based on personal judgment. “One of my friends got accused of using ChatGPT for this really big final essay even though he didn’t use it and he had to rewrite the entire thing,” said Hsieh (’25).
The student group in the SSAC conducted an experiment to test the reliability of these AI detection sites. They passed a completely AI-generated essay into Google Docs to test Google’s plagiarism detection software. The AI-generated essay was reported with no plagiarism. Then, they passed a student-written essay that did not use any generative AI into a popular AI detection system, ZeroGPT. ZeroGPT reported a false 43 percent AI usage in the student’s essay.
The inconsistency shown across multiple AI detection platforms proves their unreliability in judging student work.
This raises the question that has sparked national debate: How can schools properly guide students to use AI ethically, and how should AI be used in education?
As our own Cherry Hill district begins to work towards formulating an AI policy, it is vital to recognize that banning generative AI platforms is both unrealistic and arguably harmful for the next generation of students.
AI is not going away.
Even if a district-wide ban was placed on ChatGPT, thousands of new generative AI platforms are constantly emerging. Our world is changing daily, and artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly integrated into our lives. From smart assistants to search engines, AI is everywhere. In a technology-driven world, banning AI use for students deprives them of the opportunity to learn how to use this technology responsibly.
Instead, the Cherry Hill district should focus on teaching AI literacy and ethical usage in education. By implementing an AI literacy course and a district-wide policy, students and educators can establish clear guidelines on ethical AI use in schools.
To minimize unethical student use of AI in graded assignments, teachers should be encouraged to adapt their assessment methods. Instead of relying on unpredictable AI detectors, educators can incorporate more in-class handwritten assignments, grades based on in-class participation through Socratic seminars, or review typing version history in Google Docs as a more practical approach to evaluating student work.
Additionally, AI presents significant opportunities to enhance student learning through personalized education. AI algorithms can tailor lessons and activities based on a student’s progress, strengths, and areas for improvement. By analyzing student data, AI can adjust the curriculum in real time, optimizing learning outcomes. This individualized approach increases engagement and helps students reach their full potential. Since teachers are not always available for one-on-one support, AI tutoring systems can provide students with personalized guidance outside the classroom. These systems engage in real-time conversations, answer questions, explain concepts, and deliver targeted feedback on the spot.
“AI is the new innovation of our time, just like the advent of computers and search engines, which started small, but now have a place in everyone’s daily lives. That is why it is so important for students to learn how to use AI as a resource instead of avoiding it,” said SSAC member Ronak Pathak (’26).
The Cherry Hill district has recently explored the use of the AI generative platform School AI. School AI provides tools to enhance learning through personalized lessons, helps teachers create lesson plans, and allows them to monitor student engagement in a secure environment protected from cybersecurity risks.
Regardless of personal opinions on artificial intelligence, it is inevitable that AI will play a major role in the future. While AI poses challenges to education, efforts should focus on rethinking teaching strategies and harnessing AI to improve learning. By leveraging AI to enhance student education in personalized ways, we can embrace technological advancements to benefit students and educators alike.