Central Rivers AEA is asking all staff to turn off AI note-taking tools (like the native Zoom note-taker feature, Otter.ai, Fireflies and Read.ai) during agency meetings and professional learning sessions.
Why We’re Making This Change
- Intellectual Property: Presenter materials and ideas shouldn’t be captured or re-used by outside AI tools without permission.
- Privacy: Discussions often involve sensitive details about students, families, and districts that shouldn’t be stored on third-party servers.
- Psychological Safety: We want everyone to speak candidly and ask questions without fear of being recorded.
A reminder statement has been added to agency Zoom invites.
Please note that this guidance does not apply to parents who may activate AI tools during an IEP meeting. Iowa is a one-party consent state (Iowa Code § 808B.2). A parent participating in an IEP meeting may legally record it — including using an AI notetaking tool — without asking AEA staff permission. AEA staff cannot legally prohibit this. Please refer to earlier guidance for details.
How to Remove a Bot During a Meeting
If an AI bot joins your Zoom call, host controls allow you to remove it:
- Click Participants on your Zoom toolbar.
- Find the bot (e.g., “Otter.ai Notetaker”).
- Hover over its name, click More, and select Remove.
Tip: Enabling the Waiting Room feature helps you spot and block bots before they enter.
If you are the meeting host, you may also want to enable Waiting Room or require host approval for participants joining by video/audio-only link, which gives you a chance to screen for note-taking bots before they enter. Questions? Contact the Central Rivers AEA Help Desk for support.
Note: These removal steps reflect Zoom’s current host controls. If your Zoom interface differs, look for “Remove” under the participant’s more-options menu, as Zoom periodically updates its User Interface.