Department of Education Records

08-001 Accountability for 200 Days—Record details use of 200 required school days and in-service training.

Retain five years, then destroy.

Audit standard authorized  by the Dept. of Educ. Admin. Rule 0520-1-2-.13

T.C.A. § 49-6-3004.

08-002 Annual Report of Professional Personnel—    Report made to the Tennessee Department of Education listing alphabetically all teachers and other professional personnel in the county school system.  This report shows for each professional the name of the school assigned, grades taught, whether full-time or part-time, and the number of months paid. The report also shows the number of principals, the number of teachers or other professionals in the school, kind of certificates or permits, expiration date, and data on training, experience, salary, and such other information as required by the Tennessee Department of Education.

Retain at least 10 years, before eligible for destruction. Note: This record may be useful as a back-up to payroll records for determining retirement status.  Consider keeping this record 40 years if there is any question of availability or accuracy of payroll records.

Audit standard authorized  by the Dept. of Educ. Admin. Rule 0520-1-2-.13.

08-003 Attendance Agreements of Out-of-District  and Out-of-State Students—Agreements from the superintendent of education regarding students attending schools out of the district and/or state in which the student resides.

Retain five years, then destroy.

Audit standard authorized  by the Dept. of Education’s Student Membership and Attendance Accountability Procedures Manual, October 1999.

08-004 Audits of Internal School Activity Funds—   Audit report of activity funds handled by individual schools.

Retain five years, then destroy.

Audit standard authorized  by the Dept. of Education’s Internal School Uniform Accounting Policy Manual July 1, 2001.

08-005 Audits of Local School Departments— Audits of funds administered by superintendent of education showing date of audit, balances under previous audits, receipts and disbursements, balances carried forward, and total figures. 

Retain five years, then destroy.

State Dept. of Education recommendation.

08-006 Budget, Annual Operating— Annual approved budget document conforming to standards of the Tennessee Department of Education. Document shows anticipated revenues from all sources and estimated expenditures for the fiscal year.

Retain five years, unless there is an active audit or investigation, in which case, the records must be retained until the audit or investigation is complete.

State Dept. of Education recommendation.

08-007 Building Plans—Blueprints and specifications for buildings in the county school system.

Retain for the life of the building (plus additional time if litigation could arise from a building’s early demise), then destroy.

Necessary for maintenance and operation of physical plant.

08-008 Bus Operator’s Bonds (Blanket Bonds)—  Yearly bonds, executed by school bus drivers acting as independent contractors, to insure faithful performance of the driver as specified in contract with the county department of education.

Retain three years after release, replacement, or expiration of the bond, or three years after termination of contract, then destroy.

T.C.A. § 41-6-2107

Keep for reasonable period of time for claims to be made against bond.

08-009 Career Ladder—Certification Recommendation Form—Record advances licensed personnel through credentializing system. 

Permanent record.

Admin. Rule 0520-2-2-.07.

08-010 Career Ladder—Local Evaluation Report Form for Probationary, Apprentice, and Career Level I Teachers—Reports results of local evaluation of teachers.

Permanent record

Admin. Rule 0520-2-2-.07.

08-011 Certificates of Certificated Personnel—  Permanent certificates issued to employed teachers and other certificated personnel by the Tennessee Department of Education.

Retain until employment of the person is terminated, then return to the person or to the next of kin if the person is deceased.

Necessary record for length of employment.

08-012 Contracts, Construction—Contracts between the county education departments and contractors for construction work, showing name of contractor, date, building specifications, and amount of consideration.

Retain seven years or until expiration of guarantees, then destroy. If no guarantees are involved, destroy seven years  after completion of contract.

Based on statute of limitations for actions for breach of contract 

(T.C.A. § 28-3-109).

08-013 Contracts, Employee—Contracts between  board of education and all employees.

Retain until seven years after termination of employment, then destroy.

Based on statute of limitations for actions for breach of contract. 

T.C.A. § 28-3-109

08-014 Contracts, Personal Service of Independent Contractor—Contracts between the county board of education and operators of school buses and other independent contractors.

Retain seven years after termination of contract, then destroy.

Based on statute of limitations for actions for breach of contract 

(T.C.A. § 28-3-109).

08-015 Cumulative Pupil Record—Record of each pupil in the school system, showing the pupil’s name, address, parents’ names and occupations, complete school record, achievement test results, health record, school activities and counselors’ notes, and other information deemed appropriate by the Tennessee Department of Education.

Permanent record.

Historical document. Proof of education.

08-016 Deeds—Original deeds to school property, showing date, description, and location of property, consideration, and signature of grantor. 

Permanent record.

Establishes property rights in perpetuity.

08-017 Eighth Grade Graduates Report—Duplicates of reports to the Tennessee Department of Education eligible to receive diplomas, showing year of graduation, name of school, name of student, and date or report. This record is no longer required.

Preserve permanently if information is not available in cumulative pupil record; otherwise, destroy.

Historical document. Proof of education.

08-018 Federal Title Projects Records—Record of federal “title” projects of all types, including funds received and disbursed.

Current year records plus the previous three years of records must be maintained. Other records to facilitate an effective audit, whether in process or not, must be maintained. (An example of this would be IASA, Title I projects which are written for five years.  Toward the end of the five-year cycle, records should not be destroyed to that an effective audit can be conducted.)

Audit standard authorized  by the Dept. of Educ.  Admin. Rule 0520-1-2-.13.

08-019 Financial Report, Annual Public School—An annual report of the department’s financial condition made to the Tennessee Commissioner of Education. 

Retain five years, unless there is an active audit or investigation, in which case, the records must be retained until the audit or investigation is complete.

State Dept. of Education recommendation.

08-020 Fire Safety Inspection and Similar Reports—  Duplicates of reports made by the Tennessee Department of Insurance, Division of Fire Prevention, showing date, name of inspector, name and location of school condition, etc.

Retain five years, unless there is an active audit or investigation, in which case, the records must be retained until the audit or investigation is complete.

Audit standard authorized by the Dept. of Education’s Internal School Uniform Accounting Policy Manual July 1, 2001.

08-021 General Ledger Accounts—Record of all receipts and disbursements for the department, showing date of entry, amount, source of receipt or purpose of payment, amount of debit or credit, and name of account credited or charged.            

Retain five years, unless there is an active audit or investigation, in which case, the records must be retained until the audit or investigation is complete.

State Dept. of Education recommendation.

08-022 High School Diploma Certification and Roster of Graduates—List of graduating seniors and preparation of diplomas.  

Permanent record.

Important historical value and useful for proof of graduation.

08-023 HomeSchool Registration Form—   Application for conducting a home school. Approved home schools must also include test results for students at grades 2, 5, 7, and 9. Requests for waivers included in records as appropriate. 

Permanent record.

T.C.A. § 49-6-3050(b)(1).

08-024 Immunization Records—Original record of immunizations must remain with each pupil’s active cumulative folder. Original accompanies pupil’s cumulative folder when transferring to another school.  A copy of the immunization record should be kept with the pupil’s inactive cumulative record.  

Permanent record.

Important health record for establishing proof of immunization 

(T.C.A. § 49-6-5002).

08-025 Insurance Policies—Policies of all types insuring the department against various risks of loss.

Retain seven years after expiration or replacement by a new policy, then destroy if all claims on the policy have been settled.

Based on statute of limitations for breach of contract actions (T.C.A. § 28-9-103).

08-026 Inventories—Comprehensive inventory of all school assets.       

Retain five years, unless there is an active audit or investigation, in which case, the records must be retained until the audit or investigation is complete.

State Dept. of Education recommendation.

08-027 Invoices (Also Purchase Orders, Requisitions, Etc.)—Original invoices, purchase orders, and requisitions used in purchasing goods for the department of education.          

Retain five years, unless there is an active audit or investigation, in which case, the records must be retained until the audit or investigation is complete.

State Dept. of Education recommendation.

08-028Legal Opinions and Court Decisions— Records, including correspondence, stating or referencing court decision or legal opinions dealing with or affecting the department.    

Retain 20 years or until record no longer relevant, whichever is later, then destroy.

Court opinions can have continuing impact on operations.

08-029 Membership/Attendance Reports

1. Superintendent’s Membership/Attendance Report (SMAR)—district-wide report of membership and attendance in academic, vocational, special education, and adult education for each 20 day reporting period of the school year.
2.  Superintendent’s Annual Membership/ Attendance Report (SAMAR)—district-wide year-end cumulative report of membership and attendance in academic, vocational, special education, and adult education.
3. School-level Monthly Attendance Report—   report of membership and attendance in academic, vocational, special education, and adult education at the school-level.
4. Transportation Report Generated by the Membership/Attendance Information System —  School-level report generated by the automated membership/attendance information system that provides statistical data on students transported.
5. Attendance records (teachers attendance records, sign-in/out rosters, absentee lists)—Records of original entry that document student attendance on a daily basis.
6. Average Daily Membership Special Education Options by Primary and Secondary Report —  report generated by the D&A Census Program showing average daily membership of students receiving Special Education services for each 20-day reporting period of the school year.
7. File dump from the membership/attendance information system—An electronic file dump from the membership/attendance information system data file, including demographic and event data for each student.

Retain five years, then destroy.

Retain five years, then destroy.

Retain five years, then destroy.

Retain five years, then destroy.

Retain five years, then destroy.

Retain five years, then destroy.

Permanent record.

Audit standard authorized  by the Dept. of Education’s Student Membership and Attendance Accountability Procedures Manual October 1999.

08-030 Minutes, Board of Education—Record of regular and called meetings of the county board of education, showing place of meeting , date, members present, record of proceedings and action taken, date of final approval and signature of chairman and secretary.              

Permanent record.

Actions recorded in minutes are effective until superceded or rescinded.  Also kept for historical purposes.

08-031 Monthly Trustee’s Report—Monthly  record of funds collected, showing amounts distributed to the county school system, any city school system in the county, and to any special school district in the county.

Retain five years, unless there is an active audit or investigation, in which case, the records must be retained until the audit or investigation is complete.

State Dept. of Education recommendation.

08-032 Petitions—Petitions submitted to the county superintendent or the board of education requesting that the superintendent or the board take certain actions.            

Remain until acted upon by the board of education and if attached to minutes, then destroy; otherwise, retain three years from the submittal date, then destroy.

Keep for reasonable time in case there are inquiries regarding the petition.

08-033 Preliminary Report—Grades PK-12 School Report - Report made to the Tennessee Department of Education showing the school’s name, the number of full-time and part-time teachers, the number of boys and girls in each grade for each school, and such other information as the state requires for school approval decisions.       

Retain three years, then destroy.

Audit standard authorized  by the State Dept. of Educ. Admin. Rule 0520-1-2-.13.

08-034 Preliminary Report—Summer School—   Same as above but for summer school.

Retain three years, then destroy.

Audit standard authorized  by the State Dept. of Educ. Admin. Rule 0520-1-2-.13.

08-035 Preliminary Staff Report— Report prepared by each teacher in the local school district and sent to the TN Dept. of Education. The report shows the teacher’s classroom assignments period by period.

Retain three years, then destroy.

Keep for reasonable review period.

08-036 Receipts— Receipts issued by the superintendent for funds received.  

Retain five years, unless there is an active audit or investigation, in which case, the records must be retained until the audit or investigation is complete.

State Dept. of Education recommendation.

08-037 Reconciliation of Fund Cash to Trustee— 

Reconciliation of individual fund balances of the county education department to the county trustee’s cash balance in the county school fund.       

Retain five years, unless there is an active audit or investigation, in which case, the records must be retained until the audit or investigation is complete.

State Dept. of Education recommendation.

08-038 Report of School System/School Compliance—Local school district report to the TN Dept. of Education certifying that the school district/school is in compliance with laws, rules, regulations, and minimum standards governing K-12 education.

Retain five years, then destroy.

Audit standard authorized  by the Dept. of Educ. Admin. Rule 0520-1-2-.13.

08-039 Requisition for Equivalency High School Diplomas—Record of students passing GED examination and earning equivalent diplomas.

Permanent record.

Historical record. Proof of education.

08-040 School Food Service Reports—Record of all pertinent information required by the Tennessee Department of Education dealing with school food service.  

Retain all items except payroll records for the current year plus the three previous years unless there is an active audit or investigation, in which case, the records must be retained until the audit or investigation is completed.

Records Management/ Retention School Food Service Reports Tenn. School Nutrition Program September 2004.

08-041 Special Education Census— Detail count of all students with disabilities with option(s) of service.  This record is the basis for state and/or federal funding.

Retain three years.

Admin. Rule 0520-1-2-.09.

T.C.A. § 49-10-302(c)(2).

34 C.F.R. 76.730.

08-042 Special Education—Certification of Services and Listing of Inappropriately Served and of Suspected Students with Disabilities—Court report required of number of students with disabilities in special categories.

Permanent record.

Keep in compliance with court order.

08-043 Special Education Record—A cumulative record which contains all specific information relating to the referring process, assessment, placement, and option of service for each special education child.      

Retain three years after student exits the local education agency.

Admin. Rule 0520-1-3-.09.

T.C.A. § 49-10-302(c)(2).

34 C.F.R. 300-573.

34 C.F.R. 80.42.

08-044 Statistical Report, Annual—Report submitted to the Tennessee Department of Education by the superintendent showing for each school system the grades in the schools, total enrollment, number of students previously enrolled elsewhere, net enrollment (boys and girls), total number of days present, number of days in the school session, average daily attendance, and other statistical information.

Retain three years, then destroy.

Keep as supporting documentation for annual report required by T.C.A. § 49-1-211.

08-045 Superintendent’s Report of Suspensions and Expulsions—End of year report containing statistical data on suspensions and expulsion as required by the Tennessee Department of Education.            

Retain three years, then destroy.

Keep as supporting documentation for annual report required by T.C.A. § 49-1-211.

08-046 System-wide Personnel Compliance Sheet—Report shows the system-wide personnel  by name and teacher number for those positions for which there is a state employment standard.

Retain three years, then destroy.

Keep as supporting documentation for annual report required by T.C.A. § 49-1-211.

08-047 Textbook Reports

a. Certification of Adoption by Local Board of Education.

Official list of adopted textbooks.

b. Certification of Compliance.

Assurance that local system has furnished required textbooks to students, signed by the superintendent.

c. Plan for Estimating School System Expenditures for Library and Instructional Material and Supplies and School Health Services.

Report details estimated expenditures for funds allocated for the items noted above.

Retain six years, then destroy.

Keep  for maximum length of contract with publisher  (T.C.A. § 49-6-2203).

08-048 Transportation Report, Annual Pupil—Report to the Tennessee Department of Education giving information on the age, size, condition, etc. of school buses; average daily transported; and miles traveled.               

Retain five years or until all audit exceptions have been resolved.

Admin. Rule 0520-1-5-.01.

08-049 Vehicle Maintenance Records—Record of repairs, service, etc. related to county owned vehicles.

Retain five years or life of vehicle, whichever is longer.

Keep for management purposes.

08-050 Vocational Education Final Expenditure Report—Reports final expenditures for federal reporting and any carry-over funds to be allocated.   

Retain five years, unless there is an active audit or investigation, in which case, the records must be retained until the audit or investigation is complete.

State Dept. of Education recommendation.

08-051 Vocational Education—Mgt. Info. Svs. (Mis) Enrollment Form—Record provides statistical data on students and class enrollment necessary for funding purposes.              

Retain three years or until monitored, then destroy.

Audit  standard authorized  by the Dept. of Educ.  Admin. Rule 0520-1-2-.13.

08-052 Vocational—Technical Education (Adult ) Statistical Report—Reports class titles, student demographic information, total hours, and funding sources for adult vocational education classes provided by local school districts.

Retain three years, then destroy.

Audit  standard authorized  by the Dept. of Educ.  Admin. Rule 0520-1-2-.13.

08-053 Warrants— Canceled warrants and duplicates of warrants issued in payment of county education department expenses.        

Retain five years, unless there is an active audit or investigation, in which case, the records must be retained until the audit or investigation is complete.

State Dept. of Education recommendation.

08-054 Warrant Register

Retain five years, unless there is an active audit or investigation, in which case, the records must be retained until the audit or investigation is complete.

State Dept. of Education recommendation.

Obsolete Records

These are records that may have been required of this office at some point in the past. There is no current requirement for producing the record. They are included in this schedule so that you may know what to do with them if you discover old examples of these records in your office. Unless they are listed as a permanent record, it is most likely that any items in these record series can be destroyed. The original retention schedule for the record is listed. 

08-055 Census Records—Census of all school age children in the county, showing name, age, and address of child; district number, names of parents, grade in school, and name of school attended. This record is no longer required. A similar record series should be maintained permanently in the County Clerk’s office.

Retain five years, then destroy; however, if these records were created prior to 1950, they should be considered for historical retention if no other similar record is being maintained by another office.

08-056 Final  BEP Accountability Summary—Report showing how the local school district has spent improvement funds received from the state through the Basic Education Program (BEP).

Retain five years, then destroy.

08-057 In-school Suspension and/or Alternative School Records—Special grant records for in-school suspension and/or alternative school programs required for funding. Obsolete record. 

Destroy. Obsolete record. Formerly kept five years.

08-058 Orders and Assignments by Teachers—Orders and assignments made to the county superintendent by teachers or other employees authorizing the deduction from pay of a certain amount to be paid to a bank or other financial institution according to an agreement between the teacher or other employee and the financial institution This record is probably obsolete.          

This record is obsolete under existing garnishment laws. See retention schedule for employment records in this manual for more info.

08-059 Out of District Attendance Reports—Reports from the superintendent on students attending schools outside of the school jurisdiction where they reside. Obsolete record.  

Destroy. Obsolete record. Formerly kept three years.

08-060 Principal’s Monthly Attendance Report—Report to the county  department of  education  giving complete account of  attendance, transfers, re-entries, and absences. Obsolete record.

Destroy. Obsolete record. Formerly kept three years.

08-061 Quarterly Financial Report to County Legislative Body—Statements prepared for county legislative body each quarter of the year showing amounts in the various budget categories and the amounts expended under each category of the county education department’s budget. Obsolete record.

Destroy. Obsolete record. Formerly kept five years.

08-062 Requests for Holding in Abeyance—Requests to the Tennessee Commissioner of Education for waiver of certain minimum requirements for approval of certain schools. Obsolete record.               

Destroy. Obsolete record. Formerly kept five years.

08-063 School Plant Report, Annual—Report made to the Tennessee Department of Education giving information on the age, size, facilities, condition, etc. of school buildings. Obsolete record.

Destroy. Obsolete record. Formerly kept 10 years.

08-064 School Registers—A daily record showing name, grade, age and address of each pupil, name of parent(s) or guardian(s), schools attended, and record of attendance. School registers may be computerized or on paper. Obsolete record.

Permanent record. This record is no longer created, but old copies should be kept permanently.

08-065 Tennessee Foundation Report—Report of attendance in academic, vocational, and special education. This report is the basis for state funding for elementary and secondary education based on the average of the highest two of the first three months of school attendance. Obsolete record.

Destroy. Obsolete record. Formerly kept five years.  (TN Dept. of Education keeps this record on microfiche).

08-066 Vocation Education—Program Enrollment and Information Sheet (Vocation Centers Only)—Record provides statistical data on class enrollment necessary for special funding.          

Destroy. Obsolete record. Formerly kept three years, or until monitored.