My son’s 6th grade teacher just accused him of cheating using AI

My son is 11 and has been coding since before AI was on anyone’s radar. I’m a software developer, and his skills are far beyond what’s typical for his age.

This summer he built a “Find My Phone” style safety app for kids. One tap sends location to trusted contacts, and kids can trigger a silent distress signal via Google Assistant using code phrases. He used AI minimally to check and refactor code, always with guidance, and completed the project entirely on his own.

On the first day of school, his science teacher offered extra credit to “show how technology positively affected your life this summer.” My son presented his app. Midway through, the teacher cut him off, accused him of “trying to pull a fast one” on the class, and said he’d be calling his parents. Then I got the message.

There was nothing in the syllabus or assignment banning AI, and it was never mentioned at the open house. I understand it’s the teacher’s classroom and his rules and I would have made sure my son followed the rules if he knew about them beforehand, but I can’t help feeling the teacher still handled this poorly.