In 1901, Britain’s Edward Elgar composed five marches titled “Pomp and Circumstance,” a phrase borrowed from Shakespeare’s “Othello” that evokes the triumph of battle. The first march, more commonly known as “Land of Hope and Glory,” stirs deep emotional pride as we watch our friends and family members graduate, adorned in their caps and gowns. These ceremonies, filled with pomp and circumstance, mark the end of one era and the beginning of another. They symbolize a significant transition point.
As a leader in an educational institution, you’ve just completed another season of educating students and are already preparing for the next, welcoming both new and returning students. This transition period is the perfect opportunity to clear out expired school records, making room for the incoming year’s documents.
Am I Required to Shred Records?
Schools aren’t federally mandated to retain student records for a specific period, but the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) protects the privacy of student educational records. FERPA distinguishes between granting access to records and providing copies. Parents have the right “to inspect and review the education records of their children.” Schools must establish procedures allowing parents to review their child’s records within a reasonable time after a request is made. Maintaining records can be valuable if they benefit a student’s future, but FERPA only requires that records not be destroyed if there’s an outstanding request to review them. FERPA states that records can be “destroyed when no longer needed for the specific purpose for which they were disclosed, and that the written agreement specifies the time period for destruction.” Before the new school year begins, check your graduated and transferred student records to see if they can be securely removed from storage.
What Is the Value of Destroying Old Records?
Destroying records ensures compliance with privacy laws that require personally identifiable information to be protected from collection until it is thoroughly destroyed. Unnecessarily storing student information exposes your institution to the risk of a data breach involving information that could have been securely destroyed. Remove student information as soon as it’s no longer needed. Destroying retired records reduces the number of files that need to be stored and maintained, freeing up space and reducing the time required to locate important files. If you haven’t already, plan to purge all outdated student files so that most remaining files are current and relevant.
What About Inactive Files?
You may need to retain some inactive files for a period due to FERPA requirements or other reasons. To alleviate space issues, consider digitizing these files and destroying the paper versions. Alternatively, store these files offsite with a reputable records management company. Choose a records storage service that is secure, can promptly retrieve your files when needed — like scan-on-demand — and provides a records destruction service when the retention period expires.
How Should Records Be Destroyed?
FERPA’s best practices for destruction include paper shredding, hard drive destruction, and degaussing for digital data. Among the many methods of destroying paper, shredding is often considered the most effective. Here’s why:
- Prevents Identity Theft: Shredding makes it extremely difficult to retrieve private information.
- Comprehensive Destruction: Shredding breaks documents into small, unreadable pieces. Professional shredding companies manage this with industrial-sized shredders.
- Compliance with Privacy Regulations: If shredded paper can’t be read or reconstructed, it complies with privacy laws.
- Environmentally Friendly: Partner with a shredding company that recycles 100% of the shredded paper.
- Cost-Effective: Shredding is often more cost-effective than other methods of document destruction.
The Benefits of Using a Professional Shredding Service
Choosing to shred your expired school records before the academic year begins is an effective way to improve your school records management. Using a professional shredding company makes the task much more manageable because:
- One-Time Shredding Service: They can provide a one-time shredding service for that once-a-year purge.
- Compliance with Privacy Laws: They are compliant and familiar with all privacy laws, including FERPA.
- Environmentally Responsible: They recycle your paper to protect the environment.
- Comprehensive Services: They can shred your hard drives and discarded electronic storage devices that may contain private information.
Secure Records Solutions is your go-to professional shredder as you prepare for the new academic year. We are NAID AAA Certified and compliant with all document destruction laws, including FERPA. Don’t wait for the school year to begin to get organized. Give us a call at 800-614-0856, and we’ll take care of your expired paper files and digital storage.
