Board adopts state records‑retention schedule; staff presented AR 5071 on digitized records

The Wayne County Board of Education voted to adopt the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Division of Archives and Records’ records retention and disposition schedule for local public school units during its Aug. 4 meeting.

District staff presented Administrative Regulation AR 5071, which covers digitized imaging, destruction of original records and retention of electronic records. Staff told the board the regulation aligns district practice with the state retention schedule and governs how the district handles program operational records, transitory records, reference copies and electronic record copies.

A staff presenter told members the AR and the state schedule require the district to maintain a detailed record‑keeping system and adhere to the state’s requirements. Board members asked practical questions about the timeline to digitize existing paper records; staff said a front‑office employee has been leading the effort and that a complete timeline was not available at the meeting.

The board later returned to the item and adopted the state retention schedule by board action; the presentation and the adoption were linked in committee materials. Staff also noted the district had not previously had the most current state schedule in place and that the adoption would bring the district into compliance with state guidance.

Separately, the finance committee advised the board on a contract procurement process to digitize student records, recommending VRC as the lowest bidder; that contract was approved by the board in a later finance action.