AP 580: Division Record Management
Business & Finance
Background
Records of Parkland School Division shall be consistently managed meeting the identified requirements of the Access to Information Act, the Protection of Privacy Act, the Education Act, and this Administrative Procedure.
The purposes for retaining records include:
- Supporting effective decision making and operational requirements;
- Supporting the sharing of, and access to, information by those who require it, subject to legal and policy constraints; and
- Identifying and preserving information of value to showcase the work of the Division and its activities.
When electronic records are created they are named with a file name that supports retrieval, stored based on the functional classification scheme of Schedule 580A - Records Retention, and managed in an endorsed repository. Processes and training are provided to staff to promote consistency for the Records Management Program.
At Parkland School Division digitization serves to improve access and preserve records with a goal of replacing the original source records in hard copy format. Records are scanned and uploaded to an endorsed repository.
Definitions
a) Control: Shall refer to the decision-making authority over records, including the ability to determine their creation, classification, access, use, retention, and disposition.
b) Intrinsic Value: Shall refer to the usefulness or significance of a record derived from its original physical or material qualities, which are integral to its nature and would be lost upon reproduction. Intrinsic value is often associated with the rarity, age, or unique characteristics of the medium or format.
c) Legal Hold: Shall refer to a suspension of records disposition due to foreseeable or pending litigation, government investigation, audit, or other official action, as identified by the Division or the Board. During a legal hold, relevant records must be preserved in their original form until the hold is formally lifted.
d) Personal Information: means recorded information about an identifiable individual, including:
a. An individual’s name, home or business address, home or business telephone number, home or business email address, or other contact information, except where the individual has provided the information on behalf of the individual’s employer or principal, in the individual’s capacity as an employee or agent;
b. An individual’s race, national or ethnic origin, colour or religious or political beliefs or associations;
c. An individual’s age, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, marital status or family status;
d. An identifying number, symbol, or other particular assigned to the individual;
e. An individual’s fingerprints, other biometric information, blood type, genetic information or inheritable characteristics;
f. Information about the individual’s health and health care history, including information about the individual’s physical or mental health;
g. Information about the individual’s educational, financial, employment or criminal history, including criminal records where a pardon has been given;
h. Anyone else’s opinions about the individual; and
i. An individual’s personal views or opinions, except if they are about someone else.
e) Record: means any electronic record or other record in any form in which information is contained or stored, including information in any written, graphic, electronic, digital, photographic, audio or other medium, but does not include any software or other mechanism used to store or produce the record.
f) Records Disposition: Shall refer to the process of determining the final status of records — whether transferred for permanent retention in archives or securely destroyed — in accordance with a record retention schedule.
g) Records Disposition Authorization: Shall refer to the formal approval process, documented on an authorized schedule or form, that permits and certifies the destruction or transfer of records. Once complete, the authorization becomes a permanent record of the Division.
h) Record Retention Schedule: Shall refer to the timetable (Schedule 580A – PSD Records Retention) that identifies records by type or category, specifies the trigger for record closure, establishes the retention period, and defines the final disposition (transfer to archives or destruction).
i) Source Record: Shall refer to the original record, typically in hard copy, from which a digitized version has been created.
j) Transitory Records: Shall refer to records of short-term use that are not required to meet statutory obligations or to document operational decisions. Examples include supplier catalogues, promotional materials, notices of upcoming workshops or conferences, working papers, and preliminary research notes. Transitory records are generally of temporary usefulness, are not identified in the Records Retention Schedule, and are not filed in the official records system.
Procedures
1. All records are created, maintained and stored to support access and retrieval with protection against unauthorized access; notably,
1.1. Records are managed by the approved Records Management Program as defined in Schedule 580A – PSD Records Retention; and
1.2. Procedures and training shall support consistency and compliance to the Program.
2. The Associate Superintendent, Corporate Supports and Services, shall hold the responsibility for the Records Management Program.
3. A Retention Schedule, (Schedule 580A – PSD Records Retention), shall identify what records are kept and for how long;
3.1. The Retention Schedule shall be reviewed annually to ensure it identifies required records of the Division;
3.2. The Retention Schedule shall have a classification scheme that supports the organization of information; and
3.3. The Retention Schedule shall apply to records in all formats.
4. Once a record has met the termination of its retention requirement, the disposition of records shall be subject to approval based on submitted inventories.
4.1. Processes shall be followed to ensure either the complete and secure destruction of records, or the transfer of records to archives for permanent preservation.
5. Departments and schools hold responsibility for managing records according to the Schedule 580A – PSD Records Retention; specifically including
5.1. Maintaining responsibility for preparing inventories for review and approval; and
5.2. Maintaining strict adherence to all approved processes.
6. As much as possible, when a record is created as electronic or digital, it will remain digital, and be stored in an endorsed repository.
7. Student Records, as mandated by the Alberta Student Record Regulation, shall be stored in a secure manner and treated as confidential at all times;
7.1. Specific information regarding managing Student Records is identified in AP 320 – Student Record Management.
Electronic Records Management and Destruction of Source Records
This section applies to records specifically under the control of Parkland School Division.
8. Parkland School Division shall comply with all requirements described in the Canadian General Standards Board’s CGSB-72.34-2024;
8.1. Electronic records as documentary evidence, and similarly identified provisions, such as the Government of Alberta’s technical requirements for digitizing student records.
8.2. All record dispositions shall be authorized by a delegated individual and documented in a disposition authorization record that includes metadata identifying the record classification, dates, authorizer’s position, and date/time of disposition.
8.2.1. These disposition records shall be retained permanently as a part of the Division’s official records.
9. The Disposition Authorization for destruction of source records excludes:
9.1. Any source record identified as having archival value specifically in its original format;
9.2. Source records with intrinsic value, which may include proclamations, charters, and agreements;
9.3. Documents requiring a “blue ink signature,” such as an employee beneficiary form;
9.4. Records with corporate seals affixed;
9.5. Cartographic, architectural or technical drawings, particularly with those stamped with an Engineer’s seal;
9.6. Photographic material, including, but not limited to, slides and negatives;
9.7. Original artworks; and/or
9.8. Source records required to be retained in their original format by law, regulation or government policy.
10. Parkland School Division shall document its actions to comply with industry standards through the creation of endorsed procedures and processes to support compliance for digitizing records.
11. Staff shall receive guidance for compliance when scanning documents;
11.1. Quality assurance shall be performed and re-scanning shall be conducted as required.
Authorization of Disposition
12. Parkland School Division shall destroy digitized source records according to the requirements outlined above.
13. Electronic records disposition shall occur such that an audit trail is generated for the disposition of records held in repositories.
14. Nothing in this Authorization authorizes the transfer, destruction or other disposition of any record in contravention of an Order of a Court, a provision in any Act, or content of an Access to Information request.
Records Disposition Process
This section identifies the approved process to prepare records for final disposition (destroy or transfer to Archives for permanent preservation). Once the criteria for disposition is met based on Schedule 580A – PSD Records Retention, disposition occurs following this process.
15. Once a record has met its retention requirement it shall be reviewed and inventoried by the person responsible for the record.
16. Records are kept for the timelines identified in Schedule 580A – PSD Records Retention and managed throughout the record’s lifecycle.
17. The following procedures shall apply with respect to any record being proposed for disposition: the disposer shall:
17.1. Identify the Record Number and the Record Series (found on the Records Retention Schedule);
17.2. Submit inventories of records with similar retention periods or final disposition together;
17.3. Utilize the Records Disposition Authorization Form, to describe the records being submitted; For clarity, transitory records are not inventoried;
17.4. Identify the current date for the inventory, the school site or department location, along with the name and contact details of the person preparing the inventory.
17.5. Provide a complete description of the records being proposed for disposition; notably,
17.5.1. It is essential to describe the records in enough detail so they can be identified and approved for disposition;
17.6. Provide the Record Number and Record Series description from the Records Retention Schedule;
17.7. For a case file series, such as SI-06 for Student Records, it is important to identify the content being destroyed; specifically,
17.7.1. This process involves providing a listing of names;
17.7.2. The start date and the end date shall be listed for the records being submitted; and
17.7.3. Simply identifying the month and year is sufficient;
17.8. Utilize Schedule 580A – PSD Records Retention to identify the retention period for the required records and provide this information on the Records Disposition Authorization;
17.9. For the notes section, identify any additional information to support the disposition process;
17.10. Once completed, submit the form for signature to the Principal or Director for review;
17.11. The reviewer shall determine if there is any need to retain the records to support a business requirement for the organization beyond the time period provided for in Schedule 580A – PSD Records Retention Schedule;
17.12. The reviewer shall determine that the records met their disposition as specified in the Records Retention Schedule, and there is no operational need to extend the time period for retention;
17.13. Once signed off by the Principal or Director, the form shall be submitted to the Executive Assistant, Corporate Supports & Services;
17.13.1. The Executive Assistant shall ensure there is no organizational requirement (e.g. ATIA request, Legal Hold, or exclusion) requiring further retention of the records;
17.14. Once approved, the records are either transferred for permanent preservation to an Archive or destroyed; specifically,
17.14.1. Electronic records shall be expunged; and
17.14.2. Paper records shall be securely destroyed based on contracted services for secure shredding.
17.15. Measures shall be in place for the secure destruction of all records so that personal information is secure and protected.
18. The approved Records Disposition Authorization is a permanent record and filed in the recordkeeping system.
