April 18, 2026
The first two steps established your division’s official AI tool inventory and vendor agreement status. This step completes the picture by finding out what is actually being used inside your building.
Before we talk about what your staff is using, it helps to agree on what AI actually does. Think of it as an Extraordinary Librarian built for task work. It draws on an enormous body of processed information to answer questions, draft documents, and solve problems, and does it in seconds. But it still requires a person to direct it, interpret it, and catch what it gets wrong. In an educational setting it handles repetitive tasks so the people who matter most in that room can focus on what only they can do.
The people who work in your division are already using AI. Not necessarily through approved channels, not necessarily with anyone’s knowledge, and not necessarily with any understanding of what the implications are. It is simply what happens when powerful free tools become widely available faster than institutions can respond to them. Your job right now is to find out where things stand.
This is not an investigation. It is an inventory. The same way you track supply orders, account for staff hours, or log facility maintenance, you are taking stock of what is in the building before VDOE guidance arrives and policy decisions have to be made.
The most effective way to collect this information is usually the simplest: a short survey. Response by email is fine and for those concerned about anonymity, printed forms dropped into a locked collection box produces the most honest responses. The goal is simply to establish an accurate picture of what tools are already in use across the division.
The survey and The methodology guide are available as companion documents below. Both are ready to use as-is or adapt to fit your division’s needs. The entire process from distribution to results takes less than two weeks and costs nothing.
This analysis is provided for informational purposes only by Strategic AI Link (SAIL), an independent AI compliance consultancy based in Virginia Beach, Virginia. It does not constitute legal advice. School divisions should consult legal counsel for division-specific compliance decisions. · This is a living document. Content reflects current understanding and is subject to update as the field evolves. · Strategic AI Education LLC · June 2026