CARY, N.C. (WTVD) — Wake County school board is set to address several topics during its Tuesday meeting.

Board members will discuss how artificial intelligence is transforming education, how it is being used in schools, and the development of key policies surrounding AI in the largest district in the state.

Another major focus of the meeting is the development of a policy allowing parents to exercise religious exemptions.

This follows state lawmakers overturning Governor Roy Cooper’s veto of a bill granting parents the right to withdraw their children from topics such as LGBTQ history and the theory of evolution.

Under the proposed guidelines, parents would need to submit written requests specifying how the instruction conflicts with their child’s religious beliefs. If approved, students would receive alternative assignments, and parents could appeal if their requests are denied. The board is set to vote on the policy during the meeting.

An update on current staffing levels is also expected. According to the latest vacancy report, Wake County has 148 vacant teaching positions, 22 fewer than this time last year. There are 66 special education vacancies and 116 instructional assistant vacancies.

The board plans to address recruitment strategies for special education hires and hard-to-fill positions.

The district is also working to fill a vacant seat following the resignation of former board chair Lindsay Mahaffey, who is stepping down to spend more time with her family.

In Cary, the meeting begins with a work session at 3 p.m., followed by the regular board meeting to address these issues.

Note: This story will be updated.

Google has laid off over 200 contractors who worked on improving its AI product offerings, Gemini, and search AI overviews, according to Wired. Some were told it was part of a “ramp-down” on the project they were working on, but others believe it was due to complaints made over pay and working conditions. These laid-off contractors join hundreds of other AI-related contractors who have been fired from other major AI firms like xAI and Meta in recent months.

For the first half of 2025, AI growth was everywhere, and all the major companies were spending big to try to get ahead. Meta was offering individuals hundreds of millions to join its ranks, and entire companies were swallowed up in the race to be the first to the next big development in AI technology. But while announcements of enormous industry deals continue, there’s also a lot of talk of contraction, particularly when it comes to lower-level positions like data annotation and AI response rating.