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Fairfax County student journalists challenged school division leaders this week on artificial intelligence, raising concerns about cheating, environmental costs and the technology’s effect on learning.
Superintendent Dr. Michelle C. Reid and Chief Information Technology Officer Gautam Sethi fielded questions from 27 students representing the division’s high schools during an hour-long session at the Gatehouse Administration Center. The event was the second in an ongoing series of roundtables between student journalists and division leaders.
Joseph, a Woodson High School senior, opened the discussion by asking why Fairfax County Public Schools allowed AI into classrooms.
Reid said schools cannot simply ignore technology already being adopted by companies worldwide. She compared its arrival to electricity and said the division must approach AI with a focus on people and safety.
The possibility of students using AI to plagiarize work or cheat on tests and assignments emerged as a recurring concern. Josephine of West Potomac High School asked what FCPS was doing to prevent such misuse.
Reid acknowledged the need for caution but said educators should weigh AI’s potential benefits alongside its risks. Part of education, she said, is teaching students how tools can be used constructively while examining their costs.
Students also questioned AI’s environmental footprint. Kenley, a Hayfield Secondary School junior, asked how FCPS intends to address the technology’s rising energy demands.
Reid said she hopes AI becomes less resource-intensive because its current environmental burden may not be sustainable. She and Sethi then challenged the students to investigate how much energy technology use consumes across FCPS.
As one example, Reid proposed calculating the environmental load if all 180,000 FCPS students used AI for one hour three times each week. Such an estimate, she said, could help the community discuss whether the trade-offs are worthwhile.
The role of human teachers was another point of debate. Rania, a Justice High School senior, referred to an AI-powered school without human instructors and firmly rejected that model, arguing that interaction with educators is essential to student development.
Reid reinforced that position while answering Sadia, a Mountain View student who asked how FCPS would ensure students continue learning during the rapid growth of AI.
Students should not surrender their creativity or individual perspectives to technology, Reid said. AI tools may help sharpen their ideas, but they should never replace independent thought, problem-solving or critical thinking.
FCPS is exploring AI through initiatives including Meeting the Moment and Seize the Moment, which are intended to prepare students, educators and division leaders to use the technology responsibly while keeping people at the center of teaching and learning.