Teacher Challenges Firing After Arbitrator Consults AI

Christine Apollos, a Concord, Massachusetts, kindergarten teacher, sued to overturn her 2025 dismissal after an arbitrator consulted two AI models while reviewing her case, according to Boston.com. Apollos alleges her principal used AI to write an evaluation recommending her dismissal, while the Concord-Carlisle Regional School District says he used only an AI grammar checker.

Apollos submitted GPTZero results indicating that several reports were likely written by AI. The arbitrator gave no weight to that evidence and upheld the dismissal on August 27, citing her performance reviews and finding that the district followed proper procedures.

The lawsuit alleges the arbitrator independently asked GPT-5.4 and Claude Opus 5 to assess GPTZero's reliability without notifying either party. Apollos argues that this prevented her from challenging the findings and violated the arbitrator's neutrality. She is asking Suffolk County Superior Court to vacate the decision and order a new hearing before another arbitrator.