LaMancha.ai helps Maryland school districts move from AI curiosity to board-approved, classroom-ready policy — starting with proposed SB720 compliance. Our work is built around a pragmatic, low-risk roadmap that strengthens teacher effectiveness, personalized student learning, and student safety while aligning with district commitments to data privacy, academic integrity, accessibility, and equity.
Brad Searle — Founder
Brad Searle is a Navy veteran and Deputy Chief Data and AI Officer (CDAO) at Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), where he led the deployment of the Navy's first fully authorized enterprise generative AI platform — achieving a full ATO in just eight months, nearly half the typical timeline. He's trained over 2,000 personnel on secure GenAI adoption and was nominated for the GITEC 2026 Excellence in Cybersecurity award for his work on Project Capra.
Brad's path to LaMancha started at home. His oldest son Jacob has cerebral palsy, and together they've been early adopters of generative AI as an accessibility tool. When Jacob was frustrated that his friends were getting summer jobs he couldn't access, they turned to AI — and it unlocked something bigger. Jacob has since used AI to build apps tailored to his needs, run a friend's campaign website, and tackle projects that would have been out of reach before — not just making tasks accessible, but learning to use the technology efficiently and creatively on his own terms.
That experience led Brad to advocate for AI tools in Jacob's IEP and join the Calvert County Public Schools AI Committee, where he helped draft the district's first AI guidance as a parent volunteer. The school board still calls him for advice.
Through that work, Brad saw what he sees every day in his federal role: organizations that know AI matters but don't have a framework to adopt it safely. LaMancha exists to close that gap for school districts — bringing the same structured, security-conscious approach he built for the Department of the Navy to the educators and administrators responsible for preparing students for an AI-enabled world.
Our Approach
Align Leadership
We start by aligning leadership on goals, guardrails, and success measures—establishing clear expectations before any technology is introduced.
Build Staff Capacity
Practical professional learning that gives educators hands-on experience with AI tools in realistic classroom scenarios.
AI Levels of Use Framework
A simple framework (Levels 0–4) that defines how students and teachers can engage with AI tools — creating consistency across classrooms and clarity for everyone.
Deploy & Implement
Board-ready AI policy in 30 days, fully implemented in 90 — using our AI Policy Blueprint framework.
Five Non-Negotiables
🔒 Privacy & Security
No PII in unapproved tools. Data protection is foundational, not optional.
⚖️ Accuracy & Bias
Human verification and source-checking. AI can assist, but humans validate.
🎓 Academic Integrity
Clear expectations and disclosure. Students know when and how AI is permitted.
🤝 Avoiding Over-Reliance
AI as support—not replacement. Critical thinking remains central to learning.
♿ Accessibility & Equity
Inclusive design and supports for multilingual learners and students with disabilities.
See How We Put This Into Practice
Ready to prepare for Maryland's proposed SB720 requirements? Our AI Policy Blueprint helps districts go from policy gap to board-approved in 30 days.