The District shall establish and maintain a system of records retention as required by law or as necessary for the efficient operation of the District.
Records shall be stored as a blend of printed, bound and electronically recorded (i.e., audio tape, video tape, microfiche, computer disk) material.1 The securing, cataloging and storing of all records shall be the responsibility of the Superintendent.
1 MDE Bulletin 522 revised Sept. 2006. Record Maintenance Records can exist in a wide variety of formats, including paper, maps, photographs, microfilm, digital images, e-mail messages, databases, etc. The retention periods listed on this general schedule do not specify the format that the record may exist in, because each government agency that adopts this schedule may choose to retain its records using different recording media. Government agencies are responsible for ensuring that all of their records (regardless of format) are properly retained and remain accessible during this entire retention period. All records [this includes District email records] need to be stored in a secure and stable environment that will protect them from tampering, damage and degradation. Electronic records are dependent upon specific hardware and software to be accessed and used. It is important to understand that the original technology that is used to create electronic records will eventually become obsolete. As a result, school Districts should work with their information technology staff to develop preservation plans for retaining electronic records with longterm (more than 10 years) retention requirements. Various laws (including the Records Reproduction Act, MCL 24.401-24.406) identify acceptable formats for retaining public records; agencies are responsible for understanding and complying with these laws. Public Disclosure Select records series that are listed on this schedule may be exempt from public disclosure, in accordance with the provisions of various state and federal laws. Please consult with your attorney if you need additional information. Suspending Destruction School Districts must immediately cease the destruction of all relevant records (even if destruction is authorized by an approved Retention and Disposal Schedule) if they receive a FOIA request, if they believe that an investigation or litigation is imminent, or if they are notified that an investigation or litigation has commenced. If relevant records exist in electronic formats (such as e-mail, digital images, word processed documents, databases, backup tapes, etc.), the school District may need to notify its information technology staff. Failure to cease the destruction of relevant records could result in penalties.