Two Greenville County students helped to create a national framework for how artificial intelligence should be used in K-12 schools this past summer.
Valen Bruesch, a senior at Riverside High, and Gabriel Sutphin, a Woodmont High senior, were selected to represent South Carolina at the inaugural America’s Youth AI Festival held July 17-19 in Boston. The festival was organized by Day of AI; MIT RAISE; AASA, The School Superintendents Association; and the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the U.S. Senate.
Ninty-eight student representatives from all 50 states took on the role of senators during the three-day event to research, draft, debate and vote on a comprehensive policy framework for AI. The final bill, called the STUDENT FIRST Act of 2026, was passed by an 82-16 vote.
Bruesch and Sutphin gave a presentation on their time at the America’s Youth AI Festival to the GCS Board of Trustees during its Committee of the Whole meeting on Sept. 8. Both students said it was an unforgettable and powerful experience.
“As I noted during the debate, having a seat at this table felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to actually use our voices to change our country for the better,” Sutphin said.
The Safe Technology Use, Data Privacy and Ethical Norms for Teaching – Fostering Integrity and Responsible Systems in Teaching (STUDENT FIRST) Act outlines guidelines and protections for students, parents, teachers and administrators when using AI in schools. Bruesch said AI can be a powerful tool to enhance education, but it cannot replace the human element of teachers.
The student-developed AI policy framework will be distributed to more than 10,000 school districts nationwide through AASA. GCS Board of Trustees approved a new AI policy in February. Susan Stevens, GCS’s associate superintendent for academics, said the new policy is in step with the recommendations in the act.
“We are on the forefront of this work and truly have the opportunity to be leaders in the nation,” Stevens said.
GCS began integrating AI into the classroom during the 2025-26 academic year. The school district authorizes the use of MagicSchool AI for classroom instruction in middle and high schools. The generative AI platform offers educational tools for both educators and students.
Last school year, Riverside High and Woodmont High piloted a new course offered by the South Carolina Department of Education called Introduction to Artificial Intelligence. Thirty-six students, including Bruesch and Sutphin, earned the Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals certification through the course.
Introduction to Artificial Intelligence is part of the state’s first AI Developer pathway. A second course, AI Applications, is now being taught at the two high schools. Stevens explained that there will eventually be four AI courses, and the school district will be evaluating expanding the course offerings to other high schools.
