Hingham High School Student Punished for Using AI with Fabricated Citations
A student at Hingham High School used generative AI to complete a history project but copied text directly from the AI tool, including fabricated citations to nonexistent books. The school disciplined the student for violating academic integrity policies, leading the family to sue; a federal court ruled the school acted appropriately.
What happened
In December 2023, a junior at Hingham High School used a generative AI application to help complete an AP US History project. The student and another classmate copied and pasted text directly from the AI tool, including citations to nonexistent books that the AI had fabricated.
School officials determined the students had violated academic integrity policies by passing off AI-generated material as their own work. The students received failing grades on two parts of the multi-part project but were permitted to complete and resubmit the final project working separately. The student also received Saturday detention and was initially barred from the National Honor Society.
Reported impact
The Harris family sued the school district, alleging their son suffered harm from the discipline imposed, claiming he was kept out of the National Honor Society and that the grade affected his college applications to top-tier schools.
Index analysis
The AI system generated text with citations to nonexistent books, a form of hallucination where the model fabricates sources that do not exist.
Governance controls
School officials stated that the student had been repeatedly taught the fundamentals of academic integrity, including how to use and cite AI. US Magistrate Judge Paul Levenson found that school officials could reasonably conclude that the student's use of AI violated the school's academic integrity rules and that any student in that position would have understood as much.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.