More than 80 New Trier High School staff members will work with national AI consultants this school year after the district landed a competitive grant to build safety guardrails around classroom technology.

New Trier Township High School District 203 is one of 10 districts in the country selected for the EDSAFE AI Spark Fund, a $25,000 award that pairs schools with expert partners to develop AI governance policies. The EDSAFE AI Alliance called the district "a model for how school systems across the country should manage emerging technology," as The Record North Shore reported Sept. 2.

Lauren Owens, the district's first-year chief technology officer, led the application. Owens started July 1 after the Board of Education approved her hiring in January. She told The Record that more than 80 staff members have expressed interest in participating.

It is a fast start for Owens, who replaced Michael Marassa after his 33-year tenure as CTO. She previously served as executive director of technology at Agua Fria Union High School District in Arizona, according to New Trier News. Before moving into technology administration, she was a Spanish teacher.

In a March profile by New Trier News, Owens laid out her philosophy on teacher readiness: "AI literacy is a skill set that we need as a society now … and AI usage doesn't necessarily equate to AI literacy."

That priority now has grant dollars behind it. A majority of the $25,000 will pay for consultants from the EDSAFE AI Alliance's network of vetted partners. Those experts will guide New Trier staff through brainstorming sessions and hands-on training over the 2026-27 school year.

All recommendations must follow the EDSAFE Policy Stack, a framework of AI guidelines shaped by feedback from parents, students and educators. The grant's focus areas include student data privacy safeguards, academic integrity protocols, equitable access in AI procurement and staff AI literacy programs.

The grant program is run by InnovateEDU, a nonprofit focused on equitable education through policy, research and technology. Erin Mote, InnovateEDU's CEO, said in the Aug. 27 announcement that the program goes beyond written policy. "We are placing expert teams alongside them to ensure that AI governance is human-centered, rigorous, and actionable …" Mote said.

This is the first-ever Spark Fund cohort. The total pool of $250,000 was split among 10 districts spanning urban charter networks, virtual schools, large county systems and suburban districts like New Trier. Any models or guidelines the district develops will be published in EDSAFE's national database for other school systems to adopt.

For families with students at New Trier's main campus on Winnetka Avenue or the freshman campus in Northfield, the grant means the district will spend this year building formal protocols around how AI tools enter classrooms. The district has not detailed whether the grant will affect individualized services for students with IEPs or 504 plans.