Parent FAQ — the school-shipped template.

Q1. What is "AI" and why is my child using it at school?

AI ("Artificial Intelligence") is a kind of computer software that can answer questions, explain concepts, help with practice problems, and check work — like a tutor that's always available. CBSE has made AI a part of the curriculum from Class 3 starting April 2026 [SCHOOL-EDIT-BOARD-LINE]. Your school uses AI to give your child more personalised practice + faster feedback + access to study help when a teacher isn't immediately available. AI does NOT replace your child's teachers — it sits alongside them.

Q2. Does my child have to use AI? Can I say no?

Yes, you can opt out. Per India's DPDP Act 2023 (Digital Personal Data Protection Act — the law that protects children's data online), the school must offer alternatives for any child whose parents opt out of AI-supported learning. Speak to your school's counsellor or the academic coordinator. The school's AI use policy [link to school's signed policy] explains the opt-out process.

Q3. Will AI replace my child's teachers?

No. AI supplements teachers — it never replaces them. Your child's teachers continue to lead the classroom, grade assignments, give feedback, plan lessons, and handle pastoral care. AI helps with practice + explanation outside the teacher's direct attention; teachers stay in charge of what's taught and how it's assessed.

Q4. Is the AI my child uses safe? What about ChatGPT, etc.?

The AI tools your school uses are vetted by the school's AI implementation team [SCHOOL-EDIT-AI-TEAM]. These tools are different from free consumer AI (like the public ChatGPT website) — the school's tools have safety filters designed for children, no advertising, no profiling of your child for marketing, and data stays in India. Your child should NOT be using public ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, etc. for schoolwork — those tools are designed for adults and don't have child-safety protections built in. If your child is using those at home, Section D explains how to talk to them about it.

Q5. What if AI gives my child a wrong answer?

AI can make mistakes. The school's AI tools are designed to encourage your child to think + verify rather than just copy — your child's teachers will keep checking that your child is learning, not just receiving answers. If you find specific wrong answers, please report them to the AI implementation team [SCHOOL-EDIT-CONTACT] — they're tracked and corrected. AI is a study aid, not the source of truth. The textbook + teacher + your child's own thinking are the source of truth.

Q6. Will using AI make my child lazy / unable to think?

This is the most common concern parents raise, and it's a fair one. The school's AI is designed to ask your child questions back instead of just giving answers — to make your child do the thinking. Teachers + the AI implementation team also monitor whether students are over-relying on AI vs developing their own skills. If you notice your child becoming dependent (e.g. unable to solve a problem without AI), let the academic coordinator know — there are course-correction tools.

Q7. What data does the school's AI collect about my child?

The minimum data needed for learning: your child's name, class, subjects, and the work they do in the AI tool (questions asked, answers given, time spent). Nothing else. The AI does NOT collect: your home address, your phone number beyond what's already in the school enrolment record, your child's photo, your family's other details, your social media, your purchase history.

Q8. Where is my child's data stored? Can it leave India?

All your child's data is stored in India (specifically on Indian servers, in Mumbai + Hyderabad data centres). It does NOT leave India for routine processing. If the AI ever needs to call a service outside India (which happens for some advanced models), the school's AI use policy must explicitly authorise it; you'll be informed in advance.

Q9. What did I consent to when I signed the school enrolment form?

You consented to your child's data being processed for academic activity + child safety + clinical care only (the "Schedule IV" of India's DPDP Act). You did NOT consent to: marketing, advertising, profiling your child for non-academic purposes, or third-party data sale — those would require a separate, explicit consent which the school can never assume.

Q10. Can I see what data the school has about my child? Can I ask for it to be deleted?

Yes — under DPDP, you have the right to: (a) see what data the school holds, (b) ask for incorrect data to be corrected, (c) ask for data to be deleted (when your child leaves the school, or earlier if you withdraw consent for non-essential processing). Request via the school's Data Protection Officer (DPO) [SCHOOL-EDIT-DPO-CONTACT]. Schools must respond within 30 days.

Q11. What if I don't trust DigiLocker / I'm not comfortable with the consent form?

You can use the assisted-VPC flow (Verifiable Parental Consent — the school's alternative for parents who don't use DigiLocker or aren't comfortable with digital ID verification). The school's coordinator will read the consent aloud to you in your preferred language, you provide a thumbprint, the teacher witnesses the signature, and the consent is recorded on paper. This is legally equivalent to DigiLocker under DPDP.

Q12. Will my child's data ever be used to "train" the AI?

No, not without separate explicit consent. The school's AI uses your child's data to help your child learn — that's the academic-processing purpose covered by your enrolment consent. The AI does NOT use your child's data to train its own algorithms — that would be a different processing purpose requiring separate consent. The school's contract with the AI vendor (the Data Processing Agreement) prohibits this kind of secondary use.

Q13. What happens if my child types something concerning into the AI — like signs of distress or self-harm?

The AI is designed to break character + surface help when it detects distress signals. The AI never tries to be a therapist. It does these things:

1. Shows the school's counsellor's contact + the Tele-MANAS national helpline (14416) + Vandrevala (1860-2662-345) as tap-to-dial buttons.
2. Stops trying to tutor the student in that session.
3. Alerts the school's counsellor + principal within 1 hour (per protocol).
4. Alerts you, the parent, per the consent you signed (you chose what tiers of concern to be alerted on).

Q14. Will I be told what my child typed?

No — by design. Teachers + counsellors see the fact that the AI flagged a concerning interaction + the tier of concern (T1/T2/T3); they do NOT see the actual words your child typed, unless your child consents to share, OR the concern reaches the highest tier (T3 = imminent danger). This balances your child's privacy + the school's duty of care.

Q15. What if my child sees inappropriate content from the AI?

Report immediately to the school's AI implementation team [SCHOOL-EDIT-CONTACT]. The school has a documented incident-response process (per the school's AI policy). The AI is designed with content filters built in for children — but no filter is perfect. Reporting helps make the filters better + lets the school respond + lets the AI vendor patch the underlying issue.

Q16. Could the AI be talking to my child about things that aren't schoolwork?

The school's AI is curriculum-bounded — it's designed to discuss schoolwork (Math, Science, English, Social Studies, etc.) and not general-purpose chitchat. If your child tries to ask the AI about, say, personal advice or off-topic discussions, the AI is designed to redirect to schoolwork + (if the off-topic discussion involves distress or safety) to surface a helpline. The AI does NOT engage in extended off-topic chat the way ChatGPT might.

Q17. What if my child becomes addicted to the AI / uses it too much?

The school + the AI vendor monitor usage patterns. If your child's AI use is significantly higher than peers + their schoolwork is suffering, the academic coordinator will reach out to you. Healthy AI use ≠ unlimited AI use. Norms vary by class level: typically 30-60 minutes/day of AI-assisted study during school + at most 30 minutes/day at home is reasonable for Class 6-10.

Q18. My child uses ChatGPT / similar at home. Is that OK?

It's a fair question. Public ChatGPT is designed for adults, not for children — it doesn't have the same safety filters, content-moderation, or distress-detection that the school's AI has. ChatGPT's minimum age is 13. For children under 13, do NOT permit ChatGPT use. For children 13-17, allow it ONLY with parental supervision + clear ground rules (no homework copying; no off-topic personal advice; never share personal details). The school's AI is the safe option for academic work — let your child use it for school, and reserve ChatGPT for situations where you're nearby + can supervise.

Q19. My child wants AI on their personal phone. Should I allow it?

Treat AI apps the same way you'd treat any internet-connected app — set screen-time limits, use parental controls (Google Family Link / Apple Screen Time), discuss what's OK to share, regularly look at usage. The school's AI is on the school-managed device (or via a school-issued login on home device); personal-phone AI is your call — but supervise it. If your child is younger than 13, no AI on personal phone.

Q20. How do I talk to my child about AI without making them defensive?

Three things that work, per parents who've navigated this:

1. Ask them to show you what they use AI for — kids love showing off; it opens conversation.
2. Make it a 2-way conversation — admit you don't know everything about AI either. "Help me understand."
3. Set boundaries together — agree as a family what AI is for + what it's not for (e.g. "AI for explanations, your own brain for homework you submit"). Boundaries you set together stick better than boundaries you impose.

The school's parent-AI-literacy workshop [SCHOOL-EDIT-WORKSHOP-CALENDAR] covers this in more depth.

Q21. Who do I talk to if I have more questions?

• For learning + AI use in school: the academic coordinator [SCHOOL-EDIT-CONTACT]
• For data + consent + privacy: the school's Data Protection Officer [SCHOOL-EDIT-DPO-CONTACT]
• For safety + AI-flagged interactions: the school's counsellor [SCHOOL-EDIT-COUNSELLOR-CONTACT]
• For the school's AI policy + governance: the principal [SCHOOL-EDIT-PRINCIPAL-CONTACT]
• For 24×7 mental-health support for your child: Tele-MANAS 14416 (government, ~20 languages) / Vandrevala 1860-2662-345 (NGO, 24×7 multi-channel)