EASTON, MARYLAND — Talbot County Public Schools’ Board of Education scheduled a second reading of Policy 9.18, Instructional Technology and Artificial Intelligence, for its Sept. 9, 2026, regular meeting. The unfinished-business line on the Diligent agenda asked for a vote and listed Assistant Superintendent Helga Einhorn. The agenda note said no public comments had been received to date and that regulation 9.18AR was presented for informational purposes only.

The policy PDF attached to that agenda item stamps FIRST READING as 8/12/2026 and SECOND READING as 9/9/2026. The ADOPTED line is blank on the posted file. Until minutes or an updated policy footer record adoption, the official paper trail stops at the second-reader action requested for Sept. 9.

What Section III says, in the board’s words. Artificial intelligence shall be used to support, but not replace: professional judgment; meaningful relationships between educators, students, and families; authentic student learning; critical thinking, creativity, and independent decision-making; or human responsibility for decisions affecting students or employees. The same section closes: “AI-assisted instructional and operational decisions shall remain subject to appropriate human review and oversight.”

The purpose section frames educational technology — including artificial intelligence — as a tool that can enhance teaching, learning, accessibility, communication, and operations when use is purposeful, responsible, secure, and ethical. Board expectations in the draft include curriculum alignment, age-appropriate use, privacy and data security, academic integrity, copyright compliance, and review through established district procedures before tools touch students, employees, confidential information, or district data. The board directs the superintendent to establish administrative regulations to implement the policy.

Maryland’s Artificial Intelligence Ready Schools Act requires each local school system to have an AI policy aligned with state guidance within 120 days of the Maryland State Department of Education’s release of that guidance. MSDE’s K–12 AI framework is dated June 2026. That 120-day clock remains the Shore marker for families watching whether Policy 9.18 moves from second reader to a filled ADOPTED line.