RETENTION NOTES: GRANT RECORDS - The 7-year retention period frequently established for records of school districts derives from federal requirements in 34 CFR 75.734, 76.734, and 80.42(a)(1) and (c) governing the retention of financial and programmatic records, including supporting documents, statistical reports, and other records pertinent to program regulations or the grant agreement relating to projects or programs funded by the U.S. Department of Education through sub grants using federal funds from the Texas Education Agency. These requirements are reiterated in the Texas Education Agency's Bulletin 679: Financial Accounting Manual.

Federal regulations require that all records of the types mentioned must be available for audit for 5 years after the date of submission of the single or last expenditure report by the Texas Education Agency as sub grantor, not by the school district. Because final expenditure reports are submitted by the Texas Education Agency after all reports from districts are received, a 7-year retention period for many records of school districts is necessary to satisfy this requirement adequately.

If an audit is pending in which an expenditure or the eligibility of a student to participate in a federal program is questioned, then all records affecting the outcome of the audit must be retained until the audit is settled.

Copies of reports or records submitted to the Texas Education Agency must be retained by school districts in accordance with this schedule.

3325-01 CURRICULUM GUIDES. RETENTION: US. (Exempt from destruction request requirement.)

3325-02 GRADE BOOKS. RETENTION: 1 year after entry of grades in the academic achievement or cumulative record. (Exempt from destruction request requirement.)

RETENTION NOTE: If grades are entered in the academic achievement record or the cumulative record (see item number 3200-01) from reports compiled from grade books, these reports must be retained for the same minimum period as grade books.

3325-03 GRADE REPORTS - Periodic grade reports created for internal administrative purposes, providing data on grades or grade rankings by class, teacher, campus, course, population, ethnic breakdown, etc. except reports of the type noted in item number 3325-05. RETENTION: 1 year. (Exempt from destruction request requirement.)

3325-04 LESSON PLANS. RETENTION: 1 year. (Exempt from destruction request requirement.)

3325-05 REPORT CARDS - Copies of report cards or grade reports or a comparable record evidencing the grades that have been reported for a student to the student's parents. RETENTION: 1 year after entry of grades in the academic achievement or cumulative record. (Exempt from destruction request requirement.)

RETENTION NOTE: If copies of report cards or grade reports are the only record of grades received at the K-8 levels they must be retained for date of withdrawal of the student + 7 years. If they are the only record of grades received at the 9-12 levels prior to the use of a standardized academic achievement record, they must be retained PERMANENTLY.