Student Tech Help Desk

Take a closer look at our District with this month’s GJPS In Focus. This series brings our community inside GJPS, highlighting the people, ideas and moments that drive learning and excellence.

This month, learn how students at GLHS are gaining real-world experiences through the new Student Tech Help Desk. Supervised by members of our technology department, students are supporting peers and staff while building valuable career skills.

Gemini Becomes the Authorized AI Platform

As Gahanna-Jefferson Public Schools continues to prepare students for a rapidly changing digital world, we are committed to providing tools that foster innovation while prioritizing student safety and data privacy. As such, we are updating our technology policy to streamline student access to artificial intelligence.

Effective March 27, GJPS will transition to using Gemini as the sole authorized AI platform for student use. To maintain a secure learning environment, all other public AI platforms will be blocked on district-managed Chromebooks.

While AI offers incredible potential, many public platforms carry risks that do not align with our safety standards:

Privacy Concerns: Many AI tools "learn" from user data. Unlike public tools, Gemini accounts associated with our school domain are bound by Google’s Education Standards, meaning student data is protected and not used to train global AI models.
Safety & Social Risks: We have observed many AI platforms adding "chat room" features that allow students to communicate with unverified users. Using Gemini exclusively prevents exposure to these unregulated social environments.
Inappropriate Content: Public AI can occasionally generate content that is not age-appropriate. By using Gemini within our Google environment, we have greater oversight and filtering capabilities to mitigate these risks.

By hosting our AI interactions within our existing Google ecosystem, the District can better monitor for risky behavior. If concerns arise, our technology team has the ability to "check in" on usage to ensure students are using the tool safely and for its intended educational purpose.

This is not about limiting student potential, but about protecting students while they learn. Our AI Committee continues to study the best ways to integrate this technology so that our graduates are prepared for a future where AI literacy is essential.

We appreciate your partnership in keeping our digital classrooms safe, focused and secure.

Community Priorities for Enrollment Balancing

Gahanna-Jefferson Public Schools is reviewing enrollment patterns and building capacities across our schools. Given the details of the enrollment report presented at our February Board of Education meeting, it is important for the District to begin evaluating ways to provide relief to buildings that are at or near capacity and develop a plan that provides better utilization in our buildings.

As we work through this process, we want to hear from you. Please weigh in with what you think the priorities should be while working on balancing enrollment between our buildings. The deadline to complete this form is March 29, 2026.

As plans are developed, families at impacted schools will receive additional communication about ways to engage with this process. Any changes made would not take effect until the 2027-28 school year.

Gahanna-Jefferson Public Schools was well represented at the Columbus Crew's Stay in the Game! themed match this past weekend. Forty-six high school students were selected to attend the game based on their commitment to strong attendance and their school community. K-8 students will be selected to attend a game later in 2026.

Also on Saturday, MLS' first ever student-made tifo made its debut and was made possible by many artists around the District. GJPS had four art classes each create one of the 16 panels that were stitched together to create the entire banner. While our students were working on the project, they did not know what the entire piece looked like until it was revealed this past weekend.

Thank you to our partners at the Columbus Crew for continuing to provide these opportunities to our students and they always serve as a reminder of the importance of our students staying in the game!

Building Pride for Our Future

In November 2020, voters in the Gahanna-Jefferson Public Schools district approved a bond and operating levy to fund Phase Two of the GJPS Master Facilities Plan.

Phase Two of the Master Facilities Plan Includes:

Additions and renovations to High Point and Blacklick Elementary
Additions and renovations to Middle School East
New Lincoln High School on current site

Sign Up For the GJPS Monthly District Newsletter

The newsletter you are reading (the GJPS NEWS TO KNOW District Newsletter) is emailed to our families and GJPS community each month.

If you live in the GJPS community and want to stay in the know about what's happening in YOUR school district, please SIGN UP for our monthly update.

(Psssst, families of current GJPS students already receive this newsletter, so there is no need to sign up again, but please share with a friend who does not receive it.)