The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is giving schools some guidance on how to handle Artificial Intelligence in the classroom.
Kelli Jones, Deputy Commissioner of Learning Services (DESE), told Missourinet that technology changes how you teach and what you teach—and you can’t be afraid of it.
“Our Office of College and Career Readiness have created a handbook and it’s on our website, but it kind of gives a few guidelines and it’s not really policy and procedure because at the local level, since we’re local control, most of the districts themselves will provide those types of policies and procedures,” said Jones.
Jones said DESE is seeing some creative ideas from school leaders on how AI is being put to work.
“Blue Springs, some of the stuff they’re doing in the elementary, what I saw there was that they were so much able to individualize instruction for students because of AI,” said Jones. “It was really helping, you know, because there’s such a variety of where kids are when it comes to learning that they were using that AI tool to really assist teachers in helping that different level.”
Jones talked about how Lee’s Summit, in western Missouri near Kansas City is putting AI to use.
“They actually have an AI engineering program and it’s pretty amazing as well,” said Jones.
The department’s guidance calls for human oversight, educator training, and clear communication so AI is used as a tool to support learning, not replace it.
Copyright © 2026 · Missourinet