CONCORD, Mass. — A former Concord kindergarten teacher is asking a judge to overturn a decision that upheld her firing after she alleged that the principal used artificial intelligence to write the performance evaluation that led to her dismissal.
Christine Apollos said she was fired in August 2025 after receiving an “unsatisfactory” performance rating.
According to a complaint filed in Suffolk Superior Court, Superintendent Dr. Laurie Hunter fired Apollos on Aug. 14, 2025, based on evaluation documents from the previous two school years.
The district cited alleged inefficiency, incompetence, failure to meet teacher performance standards, and other just cause.
Apollos then challenged her termination through arbitration.
During that case, Apollos alleged that portions of her evaluation, including the final evaluation recommending her dismissal, were created using artificial intelligence rather than written by the principal.
The complaint states that Apollos used GPTZero, a tool designed to identify potentially AI-generated writing, to support her argument. She also pointed to what she described as discrepancies in the evaluation that could indicate AI-generated errors or “hallucinations.”
District attorneys questioned Apollos about her use of GPTZero during the arbitration hearing, and the arbitrator also questioned her about the tool, according to the filing.
Arbitrator Thomas Kochan issued his decision on Aug. 27, 2026, rejecting Apollos’ challenge and upholding the district’s decision to fire her.
Now, Apollos argues that Kochan improperly conducted his own investigation into GPTZero’s reliability after the hearing.
According to the complaint, Kochan researched the tool and used other artificial intelligence programs to assess whether GPTZero could reliably identify AI-generated documents.
The complaint alleges that neither side knew about the investigation until Kochan issued his decision and that Apollos was not given an opportunity to challenge the research or respond to the findings.
She claims some of the studies cited by the arbitrator examined newer and more advanced AI technology than what existed when she used GPTZero in August 2025.
Apollos also alleged that the principal’s recommendation to fire her was influenced by age discrimination.
However, the arbitrator rejected that argument, finding there was not a “preponderance of the evidence” showing that the principal’s observations were driven by age discrimination.
Apollos argues the finding improperly shifted the burden of proof to her. She contends that Massachusetts law instead requires the school district to prove it had sufficient grounds to dismiss a teacher with professional teacher status.
Apollos is asking the court to throw out the arbitration decision and order a new hearing before different arbitrators.
According to court records, the district has until Jan. 26 to respond.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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