230 Records Retention – Mandated
230 Records Retention – Mandated
I. Purpose
The purpose of a records retention schedule is to provide a plan for managing governmental records by giving continuing authority to dispose of records under Minnesota Statutes 138.17. The basis of any good records management program is the implementation of a well-developed records retention schedule. A retention schedule is a plan for the management of your records.
II. General Statement of Policy
A. This School District General Records Retention Schedule establishes minimum retention periods for school district records based on their administrative, fiscal, legal and historical value. It lists record series common to school districts and identifies how long to retain them.
B. Adopting and Using the General Schedule
1. To begin disposing of records according to the general schedule, you must notify the State Archives Department of the Minnesota Historical Society that your school district has officially adopted the schedule. A school district that has adopted the previous version of this general schedule does not need to notify the Minnesota Historical Society that it is adopting this revised edition of the General Records Retention Schedule for School Districts. It will be assumed that school districts which have adopted the previous version will now utilize this revised version.
2. Compare the records in your office with the records listed on the schedule. Retention periods listed on the schedule represent the minimum length of time that you must retain your records. Once that retention period has been reached, you may either destroy them, transfer eligible records to the State Archives, or retain permanently in the school district. If you need to retain some record series longer than the listed retention, you should establish an agency policy for those records.
3. Records identified on the schedule as historical may be transferred to a local historical society, museum, public library, or interested individual with the specific, written permission of the state Records Disposition Panel.
4. The retention stated on the schedule applies to any form of the record (paper, computer tape or disk, microfilm, optical disk, electronic media, etc.). Especially in the case of electronic records, it is the responsibility of the school district to identify the official record copy in whatever form it is. An official record is a record received or created in the transaction of public business as determined by the school district. However, if you decide to change the form of a record (for instance, you microfilm a paper record) you may not be authorized to dispose of the original record. If you are considering changing the form of a record, contact the Minnesota Historical Society, State Archives Department, 651-297-4502.
5. Data Practices Classifications are effective as of the printing of this retention schedule.
Because data practices issues change regularly, classifications may have changed. For
Adopted:5/29/2019
Revised:01/27/2020
Reviewed:1/27/2020
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current information on data practices, consult Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 13, or call the State of Minnesota, Department of Administration, Information Policy Analysis Division at (651) 296-6733.
6. After you destroy records according to the general schedule, send a report to the
Minnesota Department of Administration and the Minnesota Historical Society (M.S.
138.17, Subd. 7). Use a copy of the enclosed “Records Destruction Report” (RM-00065)
for this purpose. This report may be submitted annually or as records are destroyed.
C. Records not on the General Schedule
1. Records not listed on this schedule cannot be destroyed without submitting either an “Application for Authority to dispose of Records” (PR-1 form) or a “Minnesota Records Retention Schedule” (RM-00058).
2. The PR-1 form is used to request one-time authority to dispose of records. A reproducible copy of the PR-1 form is enclosed. Since an approved PR-1 gives you authority to dispose of only those records listed on the form, we recommend that you use the PR-1 only for obsolete records (records no longer being created).
3. For ongoing authority to dispose of records not listed on the general schedule, complete a “Minnesota Records Retention Schedule.” This form can be obtained from the Department of Administration, Information Policy Analysis Division, (651) 296-6879.
D. Duplicate Records
1. This retention schedule concerns itself only with the school district’s official record copy and the retention periods assigned reflect that. It is each school district’s responsibility to identify the official record copy and to identify when to destroy any other copies of identical records, after they have lost their legal, fiscal, historical and administrative
value. Duplicate copies need not be retained.
III. Category Definitions
Record Series Description: A record series is a group of records clustered together because they all relate to the same topic and have the same retention period.
Retention Period/Statute: The retention cited is the minimum amount of time a record must be kept. A number printed alone, e.g. 10, means ten years. The stated retention does not include the year the record originates. For example, if Record A is filed by calendar year and it has a retention of 3 years, the disposal date for 1985 records is January, 1989. Statutes listed here cite specific retention periods for the
records series. The purpose of this policy is to define when non exempt employees are paid or not paid for student contact days in due to school closure.
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Adopted:5/29/2019
Revised:1/27/2020
Reviewed:1/27/2020