The Manassas City School Board on Tuesday, July 28, approved the 2026-27 Student Code of Conduct on a 6-1 vote, choosing a version with no explicit reference to artificial intelligence. The decision followed two weeks of discussion that began when Board Member Sara Brescia proposed language banning unauthorized use of tools such as ChatGPT under “cheating, plagiarism, and dishonesty.” Board Member Diana Brown raised concerns about enforcement, questioning whether teachers had adequate detection tools and warning of equity issues. Vice Chair Dr. Zella Jones said unauthorized AI use already qualifies as cheating under existing rules. Two options were presented on July 28: Option A contained no AI language, and Option B included wording referencing “misuse of AI or other digital tools.” Brescia initially moved for Option B, but Vice Chair Jones offered a substitute motion for Option A, seconded by Brown, which the board approved 6-1. Board Member Lisa Stevens referenced a prior conversation about detection software that showed roughly a 50 percent error rate, including flagging a fully human-written document as AI-generated. The core disagreement centered on how specifically AI misuse should appear in the Code given limited detection tools, teacher workload, equity concerns, and an existing 2024 regulation, Regulation IIBEA-R-1 (Use of Generative AI in School Settings).