By Mallory Legg, Esq., director of Project HEAL (Health, Education, Advocacy, and Law)
As artificial intelligence (AI) tools become more common and available, many parents are beginning to use them to support communication with school staff members and to navigate the individualized education program (IEP) process. While these tools can offer meaningful benefits, it is also important to consider potential harms of overreliance on AI-generated content.
AI can help parents communicate more clearly and confidently. Drafting emails to teachers, administrators or IEP teams can feel intimidating, especially when discussing complex or emotionally charged topics. AI tools can assist in saving time by organizing thoughts, ensuring a neutral tone, and translating concerns into clear, concise language. This can be particularly helpful for parents who may feel overwhelmed, are new to the IEP process, have limited experience with educational terminology or struggle to relay their thoughts in writing.
AI can also support parents in understanding their rights and responsibilities within the IEP framework, as well as empower families to participate more actively and knowledgeably in the IEP process.
However, there are also important drawbacks to consider. It can be obvious when parents use AI-generated communication due to the tone, format and length of the content. The text of the communication may read as though it is not written about the specific child. AI can generate recommendations that may not make sense based on the child’s unique needs. It can be helpful to use AI as a starting point for ideas to support a child in the school setting, but it is important to review AI-generated recommendations before sending them to the school, to ensure they are relevant to the specific child.
Additionally, AI often generates lengthy text that may overwhelm the reader and include extraneous information that distracts from the overall purpose of the communication.
AI can also be inaccurate, especially when conducting legal research and analyzing the facts of a particular child’s situation. AI can complicate situations by providing inaccurate information, such as misinterpreting the law or citing laws from incorrect states. Situations where a parent relies on this information without verifying it can be frustrating for the school-based IEP team members and cause IEP meetings to become contentious. Parents who use AI in this manner should check the results for accuracy and if possible, consult with an attorney who practices special education law, rather than solely relying on AI for legal analysis.
Confidentiality is also a key issue. Entering detailed information about a child’s educational or medical needs into AI tools may raise privacy concerns, depending on how the tool stores or uses data. Families should be mindful of protecting sensitive information and consider using AI in ways that minimize risk, such as entering broad questions and information while being cautious about the amount of child-specific information they provide to AI tools.
While AI offers promising benefits for parents navigating school communication and the IEP process, it is important for parents to be mindful of the potential pitfalls of over-relying on AI tools.