This Google Site is a resource to supplement the Model Retention Schedule Guideline that was developed in 2017 as a resource for all Alberta school jurisdictions. The ASBOA Resouce Centre contains now contains all the resources.

ASBOA’s Definition of Practice defines key competencies for School Board Officials. One of the expectations of the Definition is development of a records retention policy and schedule for appropriate retention and disposal of records. (For more information see the Technology Management competency.)

Did you know that there are more than 60 different provincial and federal legislations that impact Alberta school jurisdictions? No wonder it is difficult for school jurisdictions to keep their individual retention schedules updated. Additionally, many school jurisdictions do not have the resources or dedicated staff to devote to this task. For this reason a Work Group was created under the umbrella of ASBOA to develop a model retention schedule guideline that all Alberta school jurisdictions could use – after all we all have the same basic records and operate under the same laws and rules.

The Work Group has a good cross-section of the province’s school jurisdictions, representing urban, rural and rurban; small to large; public, separate and charter; and north, south and central jurisdictions. Members hail from either ASBOA* or the FOIP school jurisdiction groups and bring a cross section of expertise from Records Managers that deal with records on a day-to-day basis and Secretary Treasurers that oversee information management as a part of their portfolio.

The Model Retention Schedule Guideline is not a cookie cutter solution, each school jurisdiction is unique and will need to customize the schedule to reflect their individual culture, language and practices.

Records Management Competencies (from ASBOA web page: Technology Management) are:

1. Support the plan, design, implementation and maintenance of records management programs and services
2. Ensure the development of a process to capture, collect and receive records from internal or external sources.
3. Ensure there is a system to design and apply classification schemes that ensures consistent methods of organizing, describing and accessing information.
4. Ensure the system provides access to information within established organizational polices, legal concerns, information and privacy legislation and copyright.
5. Ensure a system is in place to store, preserve and protect information, including business resumption plans, and security systems for physical storage and electronic records.
6. Develop a records retention policy and schedule for appropriate retention and disposal of records.
7. Review and assess document management systems for the acquiring, creating and maintaining electronic records.
8. Specific understanding of privacy legislation, copy right, internal policies as it relates to collection, use, retention and disposal of personal, organizational or third party information.