MANUAL - The Cumulative Permanent Record contains information for students attending school in Jordan School District. It documents student performance and is used for reference purposes. The school principal is the custodian of student records at the school level, and should give proper training regarding use and release of records. It is the school principal’s responsibility to insure proper maintenance.
The cumulative record folder, which includes all of the records created as part of the student's instructional program, shall be purged of all outdated or irrelevant materials and of documents containing confidential medical information, social history, teachers' notes, reports from outside agencies, or other sensitive information included as an insert in the file, but not part of the cumulative/permanent record (JSD Policy AS61). Police records maintained by the school resource officer should not be part of the cumulative/permanent record.
The following should remain in the file:
- Demographic (directory) information
- Achievement test scores (Individual psychological testing requires a signed release.)
- Copies of report cards with attendance records
- Health records
- Pertinent information concerning the student
Elementary School Cumulative Files
- The permanent record shall show the legal name as it appears on the birth certificate on file at the Bureau of Vital Statistics.
- Any pertinent information from other school districts shall be included in the file.
- A written release is needed when an outside agency requests to see or copy the record, if it contains individual testing or confidential material.
- When preparing for transferring of sixth grade files to middle school, discard duplicate and non-essential materials. Permanent records are to be delivered in person to the appropriate school by the staff of the sending school. The receiving school shall check the student list against each permanent record to assure all permanent records were received. Each bundle must be accompanied by two alphabetized lists, which include the name of the sending school and the receiving school. These lists shall be signed by both the sending and receiving school, with each school receiving a copy.
- The original records of students in grades kindergarten through sixth shall be transferred to requesting schools. Copies of the original records may be provided to the parent(s)/legal guardian(s), if a request is received prior to the time the original records are transferred.
- Retain permanent records until a student either promotes to the boundary middle school or withdraws and the file is requested.
- Any school receiving a written request for student records shall comply within 30 days, and within 10 days for a military child.
- When sending special education records to schools outside of the District, the original file should be transferred. Prior to sending these records, copies should be made of all legal documents including the permission forms, IEPs, and current classification date and kept in an inactive file.
- The permanent file of a missing child shall not be transferred. If the school receives a request for a child who has been reported as missing, contact the local police department.
- Maintain a record of date each record was requested, sent or received. Transfer forms are available in "School Resources". The "Quarterly Entries/Exits" forms can be used as well.
Middle School Cumulative Files
- The permanent record shall show the legal name as it appears on the birth certificate on file at the Bureau of Vital Statistics.
- Any pertinent information from other districts shall be included in the file.
- A certified copy of the cumulative/permanent record along with the original health record (Utah School Immunization Record) of students in grades 9 through 12 shall be transferred to requesting schools outside of Jordan School District. The original records and a copy of the health record of student in grades nine through twelve shall be archived at the Jordan District high schools.
- The original records of students in grades 7 and 8 shall be transferred to requesting schools. Copies of the original records may be provided to the parent(s)/legal guardian(s), if a request is received prior to the time the original records are transferred.
- When preparing for transferring of 9th grade files to high school, discard duplicate and non-essential materials. Permanent records are to be delivered in person to the appropriate school by the staff of the sending school. The receiving school shall check the student list against each permanent record to assure all permanent records were received. Each bundle must be accompanied by two alphabetized lists, which need to include the name of the sending school and the receiving school. The lists shall be signed by both the sending and receiving school, with each school receiving a copy.
- Any school receiving a written request for student records shall comply within 30 days, and within 10 days for a military child.
- The permanent file of a missing child shall not be transferred. If the school receives a request for a child who has been reported as missing, contact the local police department.
- A written release is needed when an outside agency requests to see or copy the record, if it contains individual testing or confidential material.
- Maintain a record of date each record was requested, sent or received.
- Transfer forms are available in "School Resources". The "Quarterly Entries/Exits" forms can be used as well.
- When sending special education records to schools outside of the District, the original file should be transferred. Prior to sending these records, copies should be made of all legal documents including the permission forms, IEPs, and current classification date and kept in an inactive file.
High School Cumulative Files
- The permanent record shall show the legal name as it appears on the birth certificate on file at the Bureau of Vital Statistics.
- Any pertinent information from other districts shall be include in the file.
- A certified copy of the cumulative/permanent record along with the original health record (Utah School Immunization Record) of students in high school shall be transferred to requesting schools outside of Jordan School District. The original records and a copy of the health record of student in grades nine through twelve shall be archived at the Jordan District high schools.
- When sending special education records to schools outside of the District, the original file should be transferred. Prior to sending these records, copies should be made of all legal documents including the permission forms, IEPs, and current classification date and kept in an inactive file.
- Any school receiving a written request for student records shall comply within 30 days, and within 10 days for a military child.
- The permanent file of a missing child shall not be transferred. If the school receives a request for a child who has been reported as missing, contact the local police department.
- Retain all permanent records at the school for 3 years after graduation and then destroy. Transcripts are retained indefinitely.
- Maintain a record of date each record was requested, sent or received.
- Transfer forms are available in "School Resources". The "Quarterly Entries/Exits" forms can be used as well.
- A written release is needed when an outside agency requests to see or copy the record, if it contains individual testing or confidential material.
- Retain the transcript indefinitely.
Cumulative File Procedure for Student Death
In the event that a student passes away, send the original cumulative folder to Planning and Enrollment at the end of the school year in which the event occurred. If requested, the original permanent cumulative folder may be given to the family. In this case, send the certified copy of the file to Student Services.
Students Receiving Special Services (Special Education)
All files of students receiving special services in Jordan School District must retained until the student has reached the age of 27. The file will move with the student's grade level cohort through the feeder system until the student reaches a high school or post secondary program. Once at this level, the record should be retained at that location until three years after graduation. (Transcripts are kept indefinitely.) At that point, the files will be stored off-site at the State Records Center, and parents or adult students may contact the Special Education Department at the District Office to obtain the file.
Each year Jordan School District will advertise in local city newspapers that special education records dated five years past the student’s twenty-second birthday will be destroyed. Once the deadline for the advertisement has been met, the files will be destroyed.
YIC Students' Records
All information maintained in permanent form regarding a youth in custody student, regardless of the source of the information, is an educational record for purposes of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and is considered confidential student records. School records, which refer to custodial status, juvenile court records, and related matters, shall be kept separate from permanent (cumulative) school records, but may still be requested and provided to various agencies as long as the records are legally and properly requested (RS 277-709-10).
Non-transferred Student Records ("Dead Files")
Schools will periodically have files of students who have attended Jordan School District and withdrawn from school, but the permanent record is not requested nor is there a forwarding school.
The approved retention scheduled for non-transferred student files (GRS-1497) does not require these files to be advanced to the high school and transferred to the State Archives for permanent retention. Rather, it requires the files to be retained for three years after separation prior to their destruction.
To comply with this retention schedule, please follow the procedure below to process non-transferred student files:
Grades K-8:
- At the end of each year, separate non-transferred files from active files. Mark the files with a destruction date of three years after the student left the school.
- Non-transferred files should not be advanced with their age cohort. Retain the files at the school of origin.
- On a regular basis, check non-transferred files against the UTrex database. If the student is active at another Utah location, contact their new school to ask the school to request the file.
- When the three-year retention has elapsed, check files in UTrex one final time before destroying. Follow the procedures on the “Records Maintenance and Retention” document (April 2021 revision) from Planning & Enrollment to appropriately destroy the files.
Grades 9-12:
- If the student did not earn credit, follow the process listed in the “Grades K-8” section of this memo.
- If credit WAS earned, the transcript becomes the official record and is retained with other transcripts for the age cohort. The cumulative folder materials are retained with the age cohort and destroyed as outlined in the “Records Maintenance and Retention” document (April 2021 revision) from Planning & Enrollment.
- On a regular basis, check non-transferred files against the UTrex database. If the student is active at another Utah location, contact their new school to ask the school to request the file.
For additional information please read Jordan District Policy AS61 - Student Records.