Policy committee members on Oct. 5 reviewed a proposed records-retention and records-management policy and instructed staff to clarify procedures for disaster recovery, backup retention, and email destruction practices. The committee also recommended removing a strict requirement that the board clerk serve as the custodian of records and instead place the custodian under the supervision of the superintendent.

Committee members noted the district maintains two fireproof, waterproof vaults for physical records and that a public-records coordinator exists, but they raised questions about whether formal procedures — including a written disaster recovery plan and a documented public-records request log — were current and accessible. Members asked the superintendent (and a named IT staff member) to confirm how backups are made, how long electronic records are retained, and whether routine electronic destruction processes could inadvertently delete records that must be kept per the retention schedule.

The committee discussed who should be listed as the custodian of records. Members recalled past debates about assigning the custodian role to the board clerk and said the policy should not mandate the clerk if the board intends to retain flexibility. The committee agreed language should state the public-records coordinator is under the supervision of the superintendent rather than requiring the clerk to hold the role.

On electronic records, members discussed that some systems (student information, email, other management systems) are cloud-based and that routine electronic deletion and server retention schedules must be reconciled with the retention schedule; the committee cited an example retention period for email of seven years and asked staff to confirm current practice. The committee also recommended preparing a public-records handbook and documentation of procedures so incoming staff understand responsibilities for retention and for notifying technology when a particular document should not be destroyed.

Next steps: staff were directed to confirm with the technology director (and IT staff) the district’s backups and disaster-recovery plan, to provide a draft public-records handbook or checklist, and to revise the policy language to make the custodian appointment supervisory to the superintendent rather than statutorily assigned to the clerk. The committee will review the revised policy and materials before the draft goes to the full board.

Ending: Committee members said they want procedures documented and accessible, including a written disaster-recovery plan, a records-request log, and clear coordination between the public-records coordinator and the director of technology to prevent unintended electronic destruction of required records.