ACS — Alabaster City Schools has expanded its innovative language learning initiatives by purchasing four additional Telo AI robots for the 2026–27 School Year. Driven by Superintendent Dr. Wayne Vickers' vision for purposeful, teacher-centered innovation, the district’s decision follows a pilot program that demonstrated how voice-first AI technology can deliver individualized student support while keeping educators in control of instruction.
For Dr. Vickers, expanding the program represents a strategic step forward in meeting real classroom needs without adding burdensome workloads or replacing teachers.
"We want to be thoughtful about how we bring AI into our schools," said Superintendent Dr. Wayne Vickers. "For us, technology should support our teachers and create meaningful opportunities for students. What we saw during the Telo pilot gave us the confidence to expand its use and see what it can do for more of our English learners."
On-Site Onboarding and Maximizing Student Speaking Time
To support the expanded rollout, Telo AI CEO Alexis Jamin visited Alabaster City Schools in late August to work directly with educators and assist with onboarding the four new robots.
"We provide extra speaking time for the students at a fraction of the cost," said Alexis Jamin, CEO of Telo AI. "On average, they speak one hour extra every month. It’s huge for an English language student to speak one hour every month—it really helps them acquire the language."
Unlike traditional apps or chatbots, the physical, voice-first Telo robots interact directly through spoken conversation, giving English learners dedicated time to listen, comprehend, and respond in English while teachers work with other small groups.
Classroom Impact: Teachers Stay in Control
Mrs. Mandy Heatherly, an English Learner (EL) teacher in Alabaster City Schools who piloted Telo in her classroom, noted that the technology seamlessly integrates into existing lesson plans without introducing a new curriculum.
"One of the things I liked most was seeing students get another opportunity to actually use English," Heatherly said. "They weren't just answering multiple-choice questions on a screen. They had to listen, understand, and respond. For English learners, having that additional speaking practice can be very valuable."
Heatherly emphasized that teachers maintain complete direction over the learning environment: "I don't have to change what I'm teaching or adopt a new curriculum. I can use the materials and activities I'm already working on with my students, and Telo adapts the interaction around them. The teacher is still deciding what the student needs to work on."
District Leadership on Scaling Support and Protecting Privacy
As student populations continue to evolve nationally, district leadership sees AI-assisted practice as a key strategy for scaling one-on-one instruction.
"Our EL students come to us with different backgrounds, proficiency levels, and needs," said Dr. Brent Byars, Director of Testing and Federal Programs. "We want to give them as much individualized practice as possible, but adding enough staff to provide that level of one-on-one support isn't realistic. Telo gives us another way to expand that practice while our teachers remain in control of what students are working on."
Dr. Byars added that Telo’s analytics provide actionable teacher insights on vocabulary development and language skills aligned with state and national English proficiency standards—such as WIDA, Texas ELPS, California ELD, ELPA21, and Arizona ELP—helping educators prepare students for benchmark assessments like ACCESS.
A foundational pillar of Alabaster’s deployment is strict adherence to responsible AI standards:
* Data Minimization: Images, audio recordings, and conversation transcripts are never retained on Telo's servers.
* No Model Training: Student data is never used to train AI models.
* Built-in Guardrails: Safety controls keep interactions strictly age-appropriate and educational.
Telo AI is an educational technology provider developing embodied, voice-first companion robots designed to extend teacher capacity and enhance K-12 instruction. Purpose-built to support English language learners, Telo provides individualized, conversational speaking practice that adapts to existing classroom curricula without increasing student screen time. Operating on a foundation of responsible AI, the platform enforces strict data minimization standards—never retaining conversation transcripts, audio, or images, and ensuring student data is never used to train AI models. By keeping educators in complete control of learning objectives while generating actionable insights aligned with state and national proficiency standards, Telo empowers school districts to scale personalized student support safely and cost-effectively. Learn more about Telo AI.