State High has recently implemented an AI software called Deledao Education to manage students’ access to online materials on school computers. This comes at a time when AI usage across the entire country has led to a record high, with over 50 million people using some sort of AI tool or software to complete a daily task.
Background And Functions
During a SCASD Board of Directors meeting in October 2024, a policy for AI was first proposed. At the time, most schools across the state did not have a definitive guideline for the usage of AI, and those that did instituted a complete ban on AI usage.
Nearly a year and a half later, the school district incorporated its first AI guideline into the curriculum. In a statement sent by SCASD administration this past February, they announced that they had created a series of guidelines for the use of AI across the entire school district. And that they would soon be incorporating “district-approved AI tools for use by employees and students.” In May, the school district incorporated the major AI software into the standardized SCASD online filters, Deledao Education.
Deledao Education was founded in 2019 and uses real-time AI data to detect embedded games and streaming sites, signs of self-harm, and blur images and videos it deems “inappropriate”. Additionally, Deledao enables teachers to view students’ screens.
One of the most prominent features of Deledao is that teachers are given real-time access to unblocking and blocking websites of their choice.
According to statistics found by Deledao data, over 82 percent of student users quit trying to access games after more than four weeks under Deledao’s supervision.
Criticisms
The school’s use of Deledado has sparked some disapproval among students, with some questioning how much it improves the previous web filters already maintained by the school.
“They already have so many components in place, so what is the point of it?” sophomore Angel Cody said, “There’s no real advantage that it brings.”
Additional concerns have emerged, including that maybe this new software is too prohibitive for students learning how to use technology properly.
“It makes it harder to get work done, and it feels overly restrictive,” freshman Evan Varei said. “I think students should be trusted more. Blocking everything doesn’t teach us responsible technology use.”
SCASD’s implementation of Deleado Education into the school district’s web filters is a big step toward more pronounced reliance on AI. Whether or not it will stay that way will be shown in the near future.
