Arizona family sues school district after AI flags unsent joke as threat, leading to 45-day suspension
A student at Marana High School in Arizona typed a joke threat in an unsent email draft on a school-issued laptop while at home with his mother. AI monitoring software flagged the message, and the Marana Unified School District suspended him for 45 days under its zero-tolerance policy. The family is now suing, alleging the punishment violated the student's rights, as the message was never sent and posed no actual threat. The case raises questions about AI surveillance in schools and the criminalization of careless speech.
- Company involved
- Marana Unified School District
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Furman University student caught using ChatGPT to write essay
A student at Furman University allegedly used OpenAI's ChatGPT to generate an essay for an upper-level philosophy class. Professor Darren Hick detected the AI-generated text using the GPTZero detection tool. The incident highlights growing concerns about AI-assisted cheating in schools, with some districts like Los Angeles Unified blocking the chatbot.
- Company involved
- Furman University
- AI system involved
- ChatGPT
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Fired Teacher Says AI Tainted Review And Arbitration - law360.com
The AI-generated performance evaluation contributed to the teacher's termination.
- Company involved
- Concord Public Schools
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15-Year-Old Test Exposes Flaw: ChatGPT for Teens Fails to Block Homework Cheating, Repeated Requests Bypass Restrictions
15歲使用者實測揭漏洞：青少年版ChatGPT難擋宿題代寫，反覆要求即破解 - BigGo 財經
A 15-year-old tester found that OpenAI's ChatGPT for Teens, launched in August, initially refused to write essays but generated full examples after repeated requests. It also immediately solved SAT-level math problems. Parental controls require account linking and are off by default, while experts warn the memory feature could lead to emotional attachment.
- Company involved
- OpenAI
- AI system involved
- ChatGPT for Teens
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University of Toronto exam monitoring software disadvantages BIPOC students
The University of Toronto continued using ProctorU and Examity exam monitoring software despite reports that the facial recognition technology fails to identify BIPOC students, causing stress and delays. Students like Maame Adjoa experienced the AI system being unable to verify their identity, requiring manual intervention. The university acknowledged the equity concerns but has not banned the software, while ProctorU stated that human proctors make final decisions. The issue has drawn criticism from US senators and researchers who highlight built-in bias in AI facial recognition.
- Company involved
- University of Toronto
- AI system involved
- ProctorU, Examity
1 source article · read the reporting →
Portland Water Bureau AI pilot offers discount to billionaire CEO
The Portland Water Bureau used a machine learning system in a randomised control trial to identify customers for its financial assistance programme. The system selected Columbia Sportswear CEO Tim Boyle, a billionaire and one of the city's largest residential water consumers, for a 40% water bill discount. Boyle declined the discount, stating it should go to someone who needs it. The bureau is testing whether the SERVUS algorithm can accurately identify customers' ability to pay.
- Company involved
- Portland Water Bureau
- AI system involved
- Smart Discount Program
1 source article · read the reporting →
International Baccalaureate's Secret Algorithm Downgrades Students, Jeopardising College Admissions
In July 2020, the International Baccalaureate (IB) program used a statistical model to predict final grades for over 170,000 students after cancelling exams due to Covid-19. Many students, including Anahita Nagpal, received lower-than-expected scores, causing them to lose college places and scholarships. Students, parents, and teachers questioned the fairness and transparency of the algorithm, with over 15,000 signing a petition demanding a fairer approach. IB defended the model but offered an appeals process, while some students planned to retake exams at their own expense.
- Company involved
- International Baccalaureate
1 source article · read the reporting →
Universities' use of race in student risk algorithms harms Black and Latinx students
The Markup found that several universities, including UMass Amherst, UW–Milwaukee, and Texas A&M, use EAB's Navigate software which incorporates race as a predictor of student dropout risk. The algorithms label Black and Latinx students as high risk at disproportionately high rates compared to White students. Students, professors, and experts worry this is pushing minority students out of math and science majors through biased advising.
- Company involved
- University of Massachusetts Amherst,University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee,Texas A&M University,Texas Tech University,South Dakota State University
- AI system involved
- Navigate
1 source article · read the reporting →
Baltimore County Schools Relocate Students After AI Gun False Alarm
On November 7, 2025, an AI security system called Omnilert reported a possible gun at Parkville High School in Baltimore County, Maryland. Students were relocated while police searched the school, but no threat was found. The incident follows a similar false alarm at Kenwood High School in October, where Omnilert mistook a bag of chips for a gun, leading to students being handcuffed. Baltimore County Public Schools has promised annual training on protocols for responding to Omnilert alerts.
- Company involved
- Baltimore County Public Schools
- AI system involved
- Omnilert
1 source article · read the reporting →
LAUSD shelves AI chatbot after vendor AllHere collapses
Los Angeles Unified School District turned off its 'Ed' AI chatbot on June 14, 2024, after the vendor AllHere furloughed most staff due to financial collapse. The chatbot, which cost $3 million, was designed to provide students and parents with academic guidance and school information. A former AllHere employee alleged that student data was improperly shared with third parties and processed overseas, raising privacy concerns. The district stated it will ensure privacy protections and plans to eventually restore the chatbot.
- Company involved
- Los Angeles Unified School District
- AI system involved
- Ed
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Parents sue Hingham Public Schools over AI project D grade
The parents of a Hingham High School senior allege the school unfairly punished him for using AI on a social studies project, giving him a D and Saturday detention despite no handbook rule against AI. They say the grade kept him out of the National Honor Society and threatens his applications to top-tier colleges. The family sued Hingham High School administration and the school district in Plymouth County District Court, seeking a grade change and NHS admission. Hingham Public Schools has declined to comment, citing ongoing litigation.
- Company involved
- Hingham Public Schools
2 source articles · read the reporting →
New York City Department of Education Releases Flawed Teacher Ratings Publicly
In February 2012, the New York City Department of Education publicly released individual Teacher Data Reports rating over 12,000 teachers based on value-added analysis of student test scores. The ratings, originally intended for internal use, were disclosed after a court ruled in favor of media organizations under the Freedom of Information Act. The teachers' union and education experts criticised the data as unreliable due to large margins of error and failure to account for demographic factors, warning that the release would unfairly shame or praise educators. The Department defended the ratings as a useful perspective on teacher effectiveness.
- Company involved
- New York City Department of Education
- AI system involved
- Teacher Data Reports
6 source articles · read the reporting →
Houston teachers sue over secret EVAAS evaluation algorithm
Houston Independent School District used the SAS Institute's EVAAS system, a proprietary algorithm, to evaluate teacher performance based on student test scores. The Houston Federation of Teachers and several teachers sued in 2014, alleging the system violated their Fourteenth Amendment procedural due process rights because the algorithm is a trade secret and teachers cannot verify the accuracy of their scores. A federal magistrate judge refused to dismiss the procedural due process claims in May 2017, ruling that teachers must have an opportunity to test the accuracy of the scores that could cost them their jobs.
- Company involved
- Houston Independent School District
- AI system involved
- Educational Value-Added Assessment System (EVAAS)
1 source article · read the reporting →
Lockport City School District's Facial Recognition System Misidentified Black Faces and Weapons
Lockport City School District deployed SN Technologies' AEGIS face and weapons detection system in January 2020. Parents and the New York Civil Liberties Union allege the system misidentifies Black people more often than white people and falsely detects weapons such as broom handles. A lawsuit was filed against the New York State Education Department seeking to ban facial recognition in schools. SN Technologies denied misleading the district.
- Company involved
- Lockport City School District
- AI system involved
- AEGIS
1 source article · read the reporting →
Teachers find no value in SAS EVAAS system in Southwest School District
A study examined the SAS Education Value-Added Assessment System (EVAAS®) used by the Southwest School District (SSD) to evaluate teacher effectiveness for high-stakes consequences. Teachers reported that the system produced inconsistent results, was biased by student factors, and reduced morale and collaboration. The study found that teachers did not use the data formatively as intended, and unintended consequences included heightened pressure and teaching to the test.
- Company involved
- Southwest School District (SSD)
- AI system involved
- SAS Education Value-Added Assessment System (EVAAS®)
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Boston Public Schools reverses algorithm-generated bus schedule after parent protest
In December 2017, Boston Public Schools announced new school start times and bus schedules generated by an algorithm designed by MIT researchers. Some parents, predominantly white, protested the changes, arguing they were unfair. The city reversed the decision after the protest, despite the algorithm's aim to improve equity and sleep health for the majority of students. The incident highlighted the lack of transparency in algorithmic decision-making.
- Company involved
- Boston Public Schools
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Anderstorp gymnasium trials facial recognition to register student attendance
Anderstorp gymnasium in Skellefteå, Sweden, used a facial recognition system for a few weeks in autumn 2018 to automatically register students' attendance when they entered a classroom. The system, made by an unnamed manufacturer, replaced teachers' manual attendance records for one class. Pupils were mostly satisfied, and the school's principal described the technology as safe. Skellefteå municipality and the manufacturer are discussing a possible continuation, with the manufacturer recommending consultation with Datainspektionen before scaling up.
- Company involved
- Skellefteå kommun
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Beijing school uses Hanwang emotion recognition system to monitor student behaviour
Niulanshan First Secondary School in Beijing has installed Hanwang Technology's Classroom Care System, which photographs students every second and analyses their facial expressions and behaviour. The system sends weekly reports to teachers and parents, and one student was described as low participation in English class despite being recorded as focused 94% of the time. The school has been highlighted in a report by Article 19, which says such emotion recognition tools rely on junk science and risk eroding privacy and human rights.
- Company involved
- Niulanshan First Secondary School
- AI system involved
- Classroom Care System
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Banjo's Live Time system overstated capabilities and posed privacy risks for Utah public safety data
The Utah State Auditor reviewed the contract for Banjo's Live Time public safety application. The system was found to lack advertised AI technology and posed security risks due to direct database queries to PSAP databases. Banjo also overstated its capabilities in its response to the RFP. The auditor concluded that personally identifiable information was unlikely accessed but recommended more rigorous vetting and better security practices.
- Company involved
- Utah Attorney General's Office
- AI system involved
- Live Time
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Microsoft removes user names from Productivity Score after privacy backlash
Microsoft rolled out its Productivity Score feature in Microsoft 365 in October 2020, which allowed managers to see individual employee data on email, chat, and meeting usage. Privacy experts criticized it as a workplace surveillance tool. After backlash, Microsoft removed user names and changed the feature to aggregate data at the organization level only.
- Company involved
- Microsoft
- AI system involved
- Productivity Score
8 source articles · read the reporting →
UBC students raise concerns over Proctorio's privacy breach and discrimination
The University of British Columbia (UBC) uses Proctorio, an algorithmic test proctoring software, for remote exams. In June 2020, a UBC student reported an issue with Proctorio, and the company's CEO released the student's support chat logs, sparking privacy concerns. The AMS of UBC published an open letter alleging that Proctorio discriminates against students of colour, those with disabilities, and other groups by flagging 'abnormal' behaviours and denying access. The letter calls on UBC to end its contract with Proctorio and conduct an external audit.
- Company involved
- University of British Columbia
- AI system involved
- Proctorio
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Middle schooler beats Edgenuity grading algorithm to get perfect score
A seventh-grade student in the Los Angeles Unified School District received a failing grade on a history assignment graded by Edgenuity's automated scoring algorithm. With help from his mother, a history professor, he reverse-engineered the algorithm by writing a paragraph with relevant keywords and a jumble of words, earning a perfect score. The incident highlights concerns about the accuracy and fairness of automated grading systems in education.
- Company involved
- Los Angeles Unified School District
- AI system involved
- Edgenuity
10 source articles · read the reporting →
ProctorU data breach exposes 444,000 user records
ProctorU, an online exam proctoring service, confirmed a data breach after a threat actor leaked a database of user records on a hacker forum. The database contained email addresses, names, addresses, phone numbers, and hashed passwords for approximately 444,000 users, including students from universities such as UCLA, Princeton, and Harvard, as well as U.S. military members. ProctorU stated that the breach involved records from 2014 and that they are investigating the incident.
- Company involved
- ProctorU
- AI system involved
- ProctorU
8 source articles · read the reporting →
Proctortrack data breach exposed student data from online proctoring
Proctortrack, an online proctoring service used by universities, suffered a data breach in September 2020 when its source code was leaked online. An analysis by Consumer Reports found that the code contained hard-coded passwords and exposed the names and email addresses of over 150 students. The company acknowledged the leak but said no harm resulted. Students had been required to use the software, which performed facial recognition and recorded video during exams.
- Company involved
- Proctortrack
- AI system involved
- Proctortrack
10 source articles · read the reporting →
