Southwest Christian School educator Kara Purschwitz feared artificial intelligence could impact her students’ ability to write, read and use critical-thinking skills in her English classroom assignments.
“My students are supposed to be writing, and this is such an obvious way to cheat and a way to subvert the learning goals of our classrooms,” Purschwitz said. “My initial reaction was mostly one of fear and how do we avoid it.”
While the use of AI in education has drawn concerns, Southwest Christian School is taking the charge in discerning how to utilize the technology as a tool that enriches student learning and aligns with their faith. Cross checking information the student receives from the AI tool with scripture is just one example.
In mid-June, the school hosted the Christian School AI Leadership Summit, a first-of-its-kind gathering focused on how such campuses can thoughtfully engage with AI. Educators from across North Texas, Houston and Austin gathered at the school’s southwest Fort Worth campus June 19 and 20 to explore how artificial intelligence can be used thoughtfully within Christian education.
Attendees of Southwest Christian School’s Christian School AI Leadership Summit in June 2025 have open discussions during the event. (Marissa Greene | Fort Worth Report)
It’s important for staff and students to not be fearful of AI because the tool is now a part of everyday life, said Shaun Reed, the school’s director of technology and modern learning. He hopes the summit helps other schools learn how to guide students through the technology.
“God’s called us to be creative, and it’s important for our students to leave school to have an understanding of how to harness that creativity and not be fearful of it,” Reed said.
Southwest Christian School developed a guidebook for students, staff and families on how to use the technological tool “for God’s glory” such as cross-checking information and scripture, not forming relationships with any AI tool and learning what personal information is and isn’t safe to enter into such tools.
The school’s guidebook also offers definitions of particular terms like chatbot, generative artificial intelligence and natural language processor. It also includes age restrictions for the use of certain AI tools.
“Any disruption in the educational landscape must be addressed from both an academic and spiritual perspective,” says Derek Reinhold, dean of innovation and learning for the school. “AI is such a disruption. If we outsource our formation to tech tools, we risk losing more than just academic growth. We compromise our spiritual development.”
With the guidebook and the summit, Purschwitz’s stance on the use of AI has changed.
She now incorporates a blend of digital and handwritten work in lessons. AI is a supplementary tool to make work more engaging, such as using it to make the characters in short story assignments visually come to life, Purschwitz said.
While the summit helped Purschwitz generate lesson ideas and talk with other educators, the overall guidance from the school helps her facilitate open discussions with her students on what an ethical use of AI looks like in different spaces and how certain uses of the technology can be considered cheating. These open conversations help build stronger relationships between students and teachers, she added.
“Being able to walk through that with them can be bonding,” Purschwitz said. “Again, you kind of have to really keep a different attitude and remember that they are trying to learn and figure it out and grow.”
Marissa Greene is a Report for America corps member, covering faith for the Fort Worth Report. You can contact her at marissa.greene@fortworthreport.org.
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