AI Lab symposium brings together faculty from all three campuses to shape school-wide policy ahead of the 2026-2027 school year
JACKSONVILLE, FL, UNITED STATES, August 20, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Episcopal School of Jacksonville (ESJ) convened a day-long symposium in June, bringing together faculty from all three campuses to examine the role of artificial intelligence in education and establish the school’s approach to its use in the classroom. A follow-up session was held in July, with both gatherings organized under the school’s AI Lab program and designed to produce working policy ahead of implementation this school year.
The Episcopal AI Lab, an exploratory program that is digging deeply into development of policy, strategy, and purpose, is generously funded through a gift from the Cranberg family, reflecting a thoughtful, mission-aligned approach—one that places human learning, ethical responsibility, and student development at the center of every decision.
Faculty discussion across both sessions returned consistently to a core question: What is essential about each academic discipline, and how does the struggle inherent in learning in mathematics, science, history, theology, and language shape the skills students carry forward?
“We know it is vitally important that students develop the skills they learn when faced with the struggle, process, thoughtfulness, and revising that go into completing an assignment,” said Natalie Herford, Head of Upper School. “The process of learning itself can never be replaced by AI; how we approach learning at Episcopal School of Jacksonville becomes even more important as our society shifts toward ease and efficiency. Learning must be meaningful, help develop usable skills, and expand intellectual capabilities.”
The goal of Episcopal School of Jacksonville, as articulated through the symposium, is to teach students to use AI ethically and purposefully as a tool that supports deeper thinking rather than replacing it. The faculty emphasized the qualities that define human learning such as judgment, creativity, curiosity, and moral reasoning, as the elements that AI cannot replicate and the school must continue to cultivate.
AI literacy at ESJ is introduced in stages aligned to student development. Students in the school’s preschool and lower elementary school divisions do not use AI, focusing instead on age-appropriate discussions of digital literacy and the ethical use of technology. Students in fourth and fifth grades may use AI through Flint, the school’s private AI platform, under faculty supervision. As they transition to Middle School, learning to prompt, inquire, and use AI as a tool becomes part of the educational process. Faculty at the Lower Schools are able to use Episcopal’s closed Flint AI platform for lesson planning and lesson exploration.
Faculty across middle school and high school divisions use consistent language and standards when addressing AI in the classroom. The AI Acceptable Use Menu, established by ESJ and shared across all campuses, defines six categories of assignment ranging from No Use through Inquiry, Tutoring, Research, Analysis, and Content Generation, each with its own disclosure and citation requirements. Anchoring all six categories are five shared principles: that AI use at Episcopal be human-centered, learning-centered, age-appropriate and safe, ethical, and purposeful. Approved platforms include FlintAI, NotebookLM, Canva, and tools within the Adobe Creative Suite. All authorized AI use is monitored by educators through the Flint platform.
“Setting aside an entire day for our faculty to work through this together, and then bringing them back for a second session in July, says a great deal about how seriously Episcopal School of Jacksonville is taking this,” said Rev. Adam Greene, Head of School. “Many institutions are waiting to see where artificial intelligence settles before they respond. Our faculty chose to sit with genuinely difficult questions about their own disciplines and shape our approach while those questions are still open. We are preparing students for a world none of us can fully predict, and the way to do that is not to guess at the technology. It is to be clear about our values.”
Herford added: “Our faculty conversations and conclusions from the symposium mirrored the middle way approach we bring to all challenges. We believe students must be engaged in order to learn, and that learning is exponentially more complicated and nuanced than what a machine can do or teach. The importance of the human element in the classroom cannot be overstated.”
About Episcopal School of Jacksonville
Episcopal School of Jacksonville is an independent school in Jacksonville, Florida serving students from age one through grade 12 across three campuses. The school provides an exceptional college preparatory education within an academically challenging and caring environment focused on a balanced experience across the school’s four pillars of academics, arts, athletics, and spiritual life. Learn more at ESJ.org.
Brandon Westerman
Episcopal School of Jacksonville
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