The parents of a high school senior in Massachusetts have filed a lawsuit against his teachers and school after their son received a “D” grade and detention for using artificial intelligence (AI) on a social studies project.
The family argues that the grade has already caused their son to miss out on the National Honor Society and is jeopardizing his chances with top-tier colleges.
“He’s been accused of cheating, and it wasn’t cheating, there was no rule in the handbook against AI,” Jennifer Harris said.
The parents claim that the school unfairly punished their son for violating a rule that was never explicitly outlined in the school’s code of conduct. According to WCVB-TV, the school handbook did not mention the use of AI in student projects until after their son was disciplined.
“So, our argument to the school was could you fail him with a 59 instead of a 53 so he can have a B minus? He’s applying to top tier schools,” Harris continued. “He’s applying to Stanford, he’s applying to MIT. They see a ‘C’ [grade] and it’s going in the trash.”
The family disputes the school’s labeling of AI-generated content as plagiarism, with their attorney, Peter Farrell, pointing out that AI-generated material is not considered plagiarism by some sources. The student and his family maintain that AI is the property of the person who generated it.
The boy’s mother added that her son missed rolling admissions to his preferred colleges, despite earning a perfect score on the ACT. The lawsuit aims to address what the family believes is an unjust application of school policies and the harm caused to their son’s academic future.
The student’s father argued that while the school can’t “undo” some of his punishments, they can change his grade, allow him into the National Honor Society and admit that he did not cheat.
“You already made him redo the paper, you can’t undo the Saturday detention,” he told WCVB-TV. “But there are some things you can fix right now and do the right thing.”
