Here's What's Happening
The Board is trying to spend more money on AI grading platforms like Class Companion, SchoolAI, and Magic School AI. These are the tools that get your grades wrong, work with ICE, and burn energy like small countries.
They're calling these "learning tools," not "grading tools." Don't fall for it. If it gives you a 1/3 or 2/3 or 3/3, that's grading. That score goes in PowerSchool and affects your transcript.
If you don't act, this passes. If you wait, it's too late.
Why You Should Be Upset
Amity Is Funding ICE
OpenAI is a MAJOR ICE contractor. Their technology is actively used in deportation raids and surveillance of immigrant communities.
Amity pays OpenAI. Your tax dollars fund family separations. The district claims to oppose these policies while paying the companies that enable them.
Amity is complicit in funding ICE deportations. As a No Place for Hate school, this is completely unacceptable.
An Environmental Catastrophe
AI data centers used up 460 TWh in 2022, roughly equivalent to the entire nation of France
Projected to consume 1,050 TWh by 2026, sitting between Japan and Russia globally
OpenAI servers use 20 million gallons of water DAILY just for cooling. In 16 days, it'll use up enough water to fill Lake Chamberlain.
Communities near data centers face water contamination and shortages. We teach kids about climate change, then burn fossil fuels to grade their essays.
Blatant Double Standards
Students using AI: Office referral, zero on assignment, phone call home.
School using AI to grade students: Totally fine, budget allocations for it?
The handbook punishes kids for outsourcing their thinking to an LLM, yet Byars outsources judgment to the same tools.
The message here is that rules exist to control students and cut costs, not to uphold Amity's stewardship.
The System DOESN'T WORK
Students are already getting wrong grades from AI. Since we've started this initiative, I've gotten multiple reports of incorrect scoring that only got fixed when students pushed back.
How many errors slipped through? How many students just accepted a wrong grade?
We're risking GPAs. College admissions. Scholarships. Futures. Using your tax dollars to fund it.
The school is gambling with untested AI tools on your student's transcript.
Built on Stolen Content
OpenAI currently faces 70+ copyright lawsuits from authors, publishers, scientists, and content creators who never consented to their work being used.
Courts have found LLM companies downloaded "pirated copies from shadow libraries" to train AI models. Anthropic recently settled for $1.5 billion over similar claims.
Amity is paying for tools built on mass copyright infringement, then using those tools to judge students on academic integrity. Your schoolwork could be used to train the same models.
AI Replicates and Amplifies Bias
Research shows AI grading exhibits racial biases. A 2025 study found ChatGPT replicated demographic disparities in essay scoring. Students from marginalized backgrounds got lower grades for the same quality work.
AI also struggles to distinguish great writing from mediocre work, giving out mostly Cs instead of recognizing excellence. A school capable of fostering multiple Scholastic writing awards winners will kill their writing programs with AI.
Strong writers will lose recognition, bias will get baked into grades, and unlike human teachers who can recognize and address their biases, AI just repeats patterns from its training data.
FIGHT BACK: Send Your Letter NOW
The Board needs to hear from you ASAP. Get your letter, send it today, and make sure they know this community will NOT stand for this.
Every email matters. Every voice counts. Don't assume someone else will do it.
What You MUST Do Right Now
- Get your letter using the tool above (takes 2 minutes)
- Email it IMMEDIATELY to boardofed@amityregion5.org
- Call Dr. Byars using the script below
- Show up to the board meeting and speak (check schedule here)
- Share this page with everyone you know
- Don't stop until they vote NO
📞 Call the Superintendent
Dr. Jennifer Byars, Superintendent
Use this script:
Be polite but firm. Your call matters.
If you do nothing, this passes.
If you wait, it's too late.
ACT NOW.
What Students & Community Members Are Saying
"My concern mostly lies with not knowing where my data is going. My assignment responses could be sold as training data without any of my input because my teacher copy-pasted it into Magic School"
"I think AI is lazy especially given whatever reputation our school tries to hold."
"I defended this school infront of crowds of people when others attacked it. Now I'm asking the Board to defend students by rejecting this funding."
"I will never touch it and I will never understand anyone who decides to touch it."
"My child's future shouldn't depend on catching an algorithm's mistakes. This is unacceptable."
Share Your Story
Have you been affected by AI in Amity schools? We want to hear from you. All testimonials will remain anonymous.
Email Your TestimonialSIGN THE PETITION
Add your name to those demanding the Board vote NO on AI funding
SIGN NOW ON CHANGE.ORG