The parents of a student in Massachusetts are taking legal action against their child’s high school for punishing him over the use of AI in a class assignment. According to the parent’s lawsuit, being punished for cheating with AI will cause “irreparable harm” to the student.
The Register reports that the parents of a Massachusetts student, identified only as RNH, have filed a lawsuit against their child’s school. The dispute arose after the student admitted to using AI while working on a Social Studies project in December 2022. Although the student claimed that AI was used solely for research purposes and not to write the entire paper, the school administered a Saturday detention and marked down the project grade.
The parents argue in their court filing that their child “will suffer irreparable harm that far outweighs any harm that may befall the Defendants.” They emphasize the potential impact on their son’s future, stating that he is applying to elite colleges and universities, and the incident could jeopardize his chances in the highly competitive admissions process. The parents are seeking an injunction to clear their son’s academic record of any mention of the incident, restore his eligibility for the National Honor Society, and ensure he receives a B grade for the project without any indication of cheating.
In response, the school has filed a motion to dismiss the case, asserting that the student, along with his classmates, was provided with a copy of the student handbook in the Fall of 2022, which explicitly prohibited the use of AI by students. The policy stated that students should “not use AI tools during in-class examinations, processed writing assignments, homework or classwork unless explicitly permitted and instructed.” The school also presented the policy to the class.
The school argues that “RNH unequivocally used another author’s language and thoughts, be it a digital and artificial author, without express permission to do so.” They further contend that the student failed to cite the use of AI in his notes, scripts, or submitted project, and that his peers were not allowed to “cut corners” by using AI to craft their projects, thus giving RNH an unfair advantage.
Read more at the Register here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
