Operating Guidelines
Book:	Operating Guidelines
Section:	E - Business Management
Title:	Record Retention & Destruction
Number:	EHB
Status:	Active
Legal:	O.C.G.A. 50-18-99, 50-18-102, 50-18-90, 50-18-91, 50-18-92, 50-18-93, 50-18-120, 50-18-95
Adopted:	09/25/2006
Last Revised:
Last Reviewed:

Policy Detail

Cross References: Record Retention & Destruction Policy - EHB
Retention Schedules

Georgia Law requires that documents produced by school systems be retained for varying lengths of time according to a Retention Schedule published periodically by the Secretary of State’s office. It references documents by their content and prescribes how long they must be maintained. Retention schedules apply to all records, regardless of physical form. The retention periods are the minimum requirements or length of time the record must be retained. The Records Program Manager shall be responsible for making decisions to retain specific information longer than the minimum retention period. Record retention schedules shall be established to serve the needs of Fulton County Schools (FCS), but the retention can never be less than the minimum retention periods as indicated by law. If a particular series of records is required for litigation, audit, or other special administrative needs, it must be retained for as long as needed or at least until the investigation is complete. The States recommended schedule may be modified by the Records Program Manager to fit the needs of Fulton County School System as long as State guidelines are followed when making modifications. Modifications made by the Records Program Manager resulting in newly created schedules or lesser retention shall be listed as pending in the schedule until approved by the Board of Education and the State Records Committee.

New Schedules and Modification Requests

The Records Program Manager shall recommend retention schedules to the State Records Committee for records within FCS that are not covered under an approved retention schedule. This schedule shall include an inventory of the type of records maintained and the length of time each type of record shall be retained in the school, department, or Records Management Office. Upon acceptance of the recommendation by the State Records committee and adoption by the Board of Education, the Records Program Manager shall amend the schedule accordingly. If there is no acceptance or adoption, the schedule shall remain unchanged. Schedules previously approved by the State Records Committee will remain in effect unless the Committee changes said schedules. The record title and description may be modified at any time by the Records Program Manager to fit the needs of FCSS without State Records Committee approval.

The Records Program Manager is responsible for initiating any changes to existing retention schedules; therefore, all change requests shall be submitted to the Records Program Manager in writing. If the request is for a longer retention, the Records Program Manager will review and either approve or disapprove. If the request is for a shorter period, the Records Program Manager will either approve the request and send it to the States Records Committee for approval, or decline the request and send the reason for the declination in writing to the requestor. The State Records Committee must approve all shorter retentions before adoption can occur. Any changes in the title and/or description of the schedules are at the discretion of the Records Program Manager.
Every two years, the State Records Committee will review and update the Retention Guidelines by adding new recommendations and revising others. The current edition of the guidelines will be available at all times at www.GeorgiaArchives.org. However, FCS specific schedules shall be available in FCS’s Records Management Plan and website at http://www.fultonschools.org/division/it/recordsmanagement/.

Storing Records

All district offices and schools shall follow the State guidelines for the proper storage of active records. All inactive records shall be transferred to the Records Management Office for storage by preparing a Records Transfer List. This list must be completed in its entirety since it will be the only record concerning the contents of the boxes. These records must be covered under an approved retention schedule prior to being transferred. If there is a concern about insect and/or rodent infestation, the records must be fumigated before they are sent, so that the insects and/or rodents are not transferred with the records. Only special records storage boxes may be used for storage in the Records Center. All other boxes will be refused. The boxes must be properly labeled, and the writing must be legible. No records will be accepted in the Records Center without an acceptable Transfer List. After a Records Center personnel has approved the Transfer List, the Records Management Department will make arrangements with the Warehouse to have the boxes picked up and delivered to the Records Center. All Vital Records must be noted, “Vital Record” in the retention schedules. Historical records shall be properly retained and preserved to maintain their historical value. The Records Program Manager shall be notified of any historical records being maintained outside of the Records Center and Archives or Museums, so that they may be transferred, preserved, and retained appropriately.

Destroying Records

When stored records exceed their retention period, they shall be marked for destruction. The principal/department head will be notified via the “Notice of Records Eligible for Destruction” form. The principal/department head’s concurrent signature is necessary before destruction can be accomplished. If it is necessary to extend the retention period, a memo must be attached to the form with an explanation for the extension. All notices must be returned to the Records Management Department with a signature of approval or an extension request. Non-confidential records may be put in the trash; however, confidential records must be properly shredded according to the law. The Records Management Department is available to shred all confidential records and sensitive information, as well as boxes of records transferred from schools or district offices. The approved retention schedules must be used to determine which records may be destroyed. The records sent to the Records Center to be destroyed may be placed in any type box as long as it is not too heavy to lift and is sturdy enough to be transported. A Records Transfer List must be filled out, and “Destroy Records” must be checked on the form. When the Transfer List is received in the Records Management Department, the Records Management Department will coordinate the pick-up and delivery of the boxes with the Warehouse. The Records Management Department shall retain the notification that the records have been destroyed as authorized.

Cross References: Record Retention & Destruction Policy - EHB