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Audit Buzz Newsletter
January 2026
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Engagement and Office Updates
Happy New Year!
In this issue, we include a summary of the January 5 Audit Committee meeting, an article on Navigating the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Buzz, and a training opportunity.
Prior editions of Audit Buzz are archived here on Office of Auditor General (OAG) website.
As always, we appreciate the cooperation and courtesies extended to our staff by Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) management and staff during all past, current, and future audit engagements.
Here is a challenge to test your audit knowledge, before we begin this issue:
Say What You See
January 5 Audit Committee Meeting Summary
At the January 5 Audit Committee meeting, OAG presented the following items:
Knowledge Hive
Navigating the AI Buzz
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer just a concept found in sci-fi movies. Everybody is buzzing about AI and what the future may look like as these tools become ever more accessible. Even now, AI tools are being used daily in offices, at home, and even in classrooms. Like any powerful tool, there can be trade-offs that need to be considered. As internal auditors, OAG always considers the costs and benefits to the organization. Therefore, in this edition of the Knowledge Hive, we are breaking down the risks and rewards of using AI in FCPS from an auditor's perspective.
The Risks
Before you get started, keep these critical risks in mind:
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Don’t Feed the Beast: Public AI models often “learn” from the data you enter. Never input Personally Identifiable Information (PII) into an unapproved AI tool. PII includes names, email addresses, ID numbers, grades, medical information, or any combination of data that could allow someone to identify a specific student or staff member.
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Tip: According to the FCPS Department of Information Technology, Google Gemini is the official approved Large Language Model for FCPS because it does NOT use your data to train its models. Next time you use it, look for the shield icon and message confirming your chats are private. Staff are also permitted to use NotebookLM and ChatGPT for Teachers, though ChatGPT for Teachers is not yet approved for use with confidential and restricted data. Be sure you are logged into your official FCPS accounts before using these tools and avoid using other tools for work-related use.
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Hallucinations: AI can present information in an incredibly confident manner, even when it is wrong. “Hallucinations” occur when AI tools invent facts, citations, or even historical events. AI tools may even mistakenly validate unverified information from sources such as message boards, comment sections, and social media posts as facts. That is why it is important to always verify the platform’s output before using it.
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Tip: If using AI for research, try ending your prompt with: “Provide links to sources for all facts and figures provided.
The Rewards
How can we use AI safely to support our work?
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Teachers: Use the approved AI tools to assist with lesson planning, unit design, quiz generation, differentiation, and creating staff meeting agendas.
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Central Office: Streamline administrative tasks such as drafting emails, synthesizing research, analyzing data, and automating repetitive workflows.
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OAG: Auditors at OAG use these tools to help brainstorm risks during audit planning, analyze data for audit work, create visualizations of procedural documents, and proofread reports against our Audit Manual and Writing Style Guide.
The Bottom Line
AI is a powerful tool, but it is not a replacement for professional judgment. It can be a great resource if used safely and correctly. Be curious, but be cautious. FCPS provides more resources on this webpage https://ai.fcps.edu/.
If you are an FCPS employee who wants to learn more about AI, check out the Artificial Intelligence in FCPS page on the FCPS Atlas Intranet! It has resources to help you use these tools effectively such as use cases, how to format prompts to get the best output, standard templates for prompts you can use every day, and tips on how to design custom Gemini models called Gems.
Did You Know?
OAG Outreach and Education: Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Opportunity - Audit as Ally: Strengthening District Culture through Ethical Core Competencies and Decision-Making
OAG aims at providing quarterly online training to all staff members, covering topics related to mitigating financial and process risks to FCPS. Scenarios will be provided during the training where staff members can take what they learn back to work. OAG is a certified National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) Continuing Professional Education (CPE) provider, on behalf of FCPS. FCPS can award employees with CPE credits required to maintain professional certification status.
Course Details: This is a continuation of our training series, “if you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together”. By the end of this session, participants will be able to internalize ethical core competencies, including transparency, integrity, and apply such competencies over decision-making in their everyday work.
Format and Date/Time: Synchronous online training via Zoom, on April 24, 2026 (Friday), from 9am to 12pm. Three CPE credits will be awarded for the entire training.
FCPS employees may sign-up here April 24, 2026 Training.
Upcoming Events
Next Audit Committee Meeting
The next Audit Committee meeting is scheduled for March 2, 2026 at 4:00 PM. Please refer to BoardDocs for meeting information once it becomes available.
Fraud, Waste & Abuse Hotline:
(571) 423-1333 (anonymous voicemail)
InternalAudit@fcps.edu (email is not anonymous)
Online Submission Form
[Answer: Peer Review]
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