General Administration AP 185: Records Management

Background

Information is valuable and a critical factor in the achievement of objectives. This Administrative Procedure is to provide for the planning, direction, and controlling of Division records throughout their life cycle for legal, fiscal, and historical purposes.

Definitions

Record means information in any recorded form. This includes documents, letters, hand-written notes, papers, draft documents, e-mail, voice mail, computer data files, books, vouchers, maps, drawings, photographs, student records, and calendars in the custody or control of the Division.

Student records are specifically subject to the Student Record Regulation under the School Act and Regulations and are also addressed in Administrative Procedure 320 - Student Records.

 Personal information means any information about an identifiable individual, including:

• Name, home address, or telephone number;
• Race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, political beliefs or associations;
• Age, sex, marital status, family status;
• Identifying numbers;
• Fingerprints or blood type;
• Health and health care history;
• Educational, financial, employment, criminal records.

Transitory Records are records that are not required to meet statutory obligations or to sustain administrative or operational functions. These records are still to be handled as “Confidential Information”.

Transitory Records are records in any media that:

• Have only temporary usefulness;
• Are not part of an administrative or operational records series;
• Are not regularly filed in a records information system; and
• Are required only for a limited period of time for the completion of a routine action or the preparation of a record.

Procedures

1. As per AP 180, Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, the Superintendent of Schools is designated as the Head and the Associate Superintendent, Business and Finance is designated as the Coordinator.  
2. The Associate Superintendent, Business and Finance shall have responsibility for the administration of the Division Records and Information Management Program.
3. Department supervisors shall be responsible to train, monitor, and assess their direct reports with respect to compliance with this procedure in the management of site-based records.  Department supervisors shall report on site-based matters to the Associate Superintendent, Business and Finance annually or as directed.  
4. Proper custody, storage, and disposal of records shall comply with federal and provincial statutory requirements.
5. Records shall be the property of the Division. It is the procedure of the District Division to:
   1. Manage all recorded information as a Division resource to support effective decision making, to meet operational requirements, and to protect the legal, fiscal, and historical needs of the Division;
   2. Make the wisest possible use of information within the Division by ensuring that it is organized to facilitate the sharing of and access to information by those who require it, subject to legal and policy or procedural constraints; and
   3. Identify and conserve information that serves to reconstruct the evolution of procedures and program decisions or have other enduring value and to ensure that such information is organized in such a manner as to be readily available.
   4. Records required for statutory, legal, fiscal, administrative or operational purposes must be retained in a regular record or information system and disposed of separately in accordance with the Records Retention Schedule (Appendix 185 B).
6. Storage of Records
   1. An archival list must be prepared of records prior to transfer to a records storage area.
   2. Prior to transfer, departments are responsible to provide said archival list to the Associate Superintendent of Business and Finance or designate.
   3. The Associate Superintendent Business and Finance or designate is responsible for maintaining and updating record inventories.
7. Retrieval of Records from Storage
   1. Access to records stored in archival storage areas is restricted to designated employees which is limited to the Associate Superintendent, Business and Finance and the Superintendent of Schools or there designate(s).
   2. Records can be retrieved from the storage area upon written approval by either the Superintendent of Schools or the Associate Superintendent of Business and Finance.
   3. Records from storage area must be returned to the same files, boxes or containers. If records are removed and/or re-boxed the Associate Superintendent Business and Finance or designate must be notified in writing.
8. Disposal of Records
   1. Disposal of records can only take place according to the parameters set in the retention schedule.
   2. All destruction of records is subject to written approval by:
      1. The School Administrator of Department Supervisor; and
      2. The Associate Superintendent Business and Finance or designate
         
         Such written approval shall be obtained in the Destruction Notice Form (Form 185-1) The Associate  Superintendent Business and Finance shall permanently retain the completed Destruction Notice Form    in PDF format.
         
         
   3. Disposal of records must be conducted in a manner that ensures no information from the records might inadvertently be released.
   4. Non-Record/Transitory Records are considered confidential waste. The same security arrangements are to be taken for their disposal
9. Schedules
   1. All records created and maintained by the Division must have a retention period applied.
   2. A Schedule of Records Retention and Disposal (Appendix 185-B) shall be prepared by the Associate Superintendent Business and Finance or designate and updated when necessary to allow for the disposal of records in a consistent manner.