Current and former students at Lawrence High School and Free State High School, located in Lawrence, Kansas, have sued the school district, alleging that its use of an AI surveillance tool violates their privacy.

The allegations revolve around the school district’s use of Gaggle, which is an AI tool that mines the district’s Google Workspace, including Gmail, Drive, and other Google products used by students through the public schools’ network. Gaggle is designed to “flag content it deems a safety risk, such as allusions to self-harm, depression, drug use and violence.”

The plaintiffs are student journalists, artists, and photographers who reported on Gaggle or had their work flagged and removed by the AI tool. They allege that Gaggle could access their notes, thereby allowing access by the district, which they allege is a violation of journalists’ legal protections. They allege that “[s]tudents’ journalism drafts were intercepted before publication, mental health emails to trusted teachers disappeared, and original artwork was seized from school accounts without warning or explanation.”

They further allege that the district’s use of Gaggle is a “sweeping, suspicionless  monitoring program” that “violated student rights by flagging and seizing student artwork.” They allege that “Gaggle undermines the mental health goals it attempts to address by intercepting appeals for help students may send to teachers or other trusted adults.”

The lawsuit requests a permanent injunction to stop the use of Gaggle in the district, along with compensatory, nominal, and punitive damages as well as attorney’s fees.

AI tools have their place in today’s business environment, but without careful protocols implemented to protect user privacy, organizations can find themselves in lawsuits that will drain resources and time away from more critical areas of need.