The Admin Team Went All-In on AI. Now the WiFi Is Down and Student Data Is at Risk.

The Admin Team Went All-In on AI. Now the WiFi Is Down and Student Data Is at Risk.

A K-12 IT professional posted to a sysadmin forum this week with a situation many educators will recognize: the school's administrative team has gone "all in" on AI, purchasing top-tier licenses, demanding access to all school data — and cutting IT out of every decision. The problem isn't the enthusiasm. It's what's happening without guardrails. Devices running Claude Cowork, an AI collaboration tool, began causing WiFi instability. When IT flagged it, administrators blamed the IT department anyway.

Then came the request that crossed a line: the admin team asked IT to give a Claude AI agent direct access to the school's Student Information System — the database that holds every student's grades, attendance records, and personal details. The IT director, notably, is not considered part of the admin team at this school and is relegated to support rather than strategy. That gap is where the risk lives. Commenters in the forum shared parallel stories: one school district is now planning to block all unsanctioned AI tools next year after staff members uploaded FERPA-protected student data — federal law covers student education records — into personal AI accounts. Another IT professional suggested requiring written sign-off from administrators for every AI access request, so the risk acceptance is on the record.

When the people deciding which AI tools get access to student data aren't the people who understand what that access means, the students are the ones exposed.

Gobble's Take: If your school's IT team isn't at the table when AI decisions are made, your kids' data might already be on the menu.

Source: r/k12sysadmin

High Schoolers Are Faking AI Highlight Reels. Coaches Are Already Catching Them.

A Sports Illustrated report surfaced a new wrinkle in high school sports recruiting: some athletes are using generative AI to insert touchdowns, tackles, and explosive runs that never actually happened into their recruiting videos. The tools are accessible, the temptation is real, and the judgment required to resist is the kind that teenagers don't always have.

Here's the problem students aren't seeing: experienced recruiters and coaches can usually tell. According to an analysis by Dr. Andy Szeto in Tech & Learning, the flow of a manipulated clip feels wrong, the movement doesn't match the game's context, and trained eyes catch it quickly. Students are overestimating how convincing these tools are — and underestimating how fast credibility collapses when a fake is spotted. Highlight reels have always been curated; that's nothing new. But fabricating plays that never happened is a different category, and when it's exposed, the damage follows the student — not the software. Lost trust, a damaged reputation, and the stigma of being caught can outlast any single recruiting cycle.

AI lowered the effort required to make a terrible decision, and for some high schoolers, that's exactly the problem.

Gobble's Take: AI can fake a highlight reel, but it can't fake the scholarship offer that requires one that holds up to scrutiny.

Source: Tech & Learning

Quick Hits

• New Haven students call school AI policies "vague" and stressful: At a Board of Education meeting, students raised concerns about unclear AI guidelines and technology-related burnout — a sign that districts rolling out AI without student input are generating confusion at the classroom level. New Haven Register
• Schools piloting AI to assess "durable skills" beyond test scores: An Education Week report covers early pilots using AI to evaluate student growth in critical thinking and collaboration — abilities standardized tests routinely miss. Education Week

In Case You Missed It

Yesterday's top stories:

• A Palo Alto Family Is Suing Over an AI Cheating Accusation — and the Lawsuit Could Change How Schools Handle These Cases
• Google Just Made Free SAT Tutoring That Explains Every Wrong Answer — Instantly
• Charleston County Schools Wrote Down Exactly What AI Can and Can't Do in the Classroom