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.

3350-01 DISCIPLINE RECORDS - Records relating to the discipline, corporal punishment, suspension, and expulsion of students maintained by superintendents, principals, and counselors, including parental conference reports and correspondence with parents.

a) Records relating to expulsion. RETENTION: 3 years

b) Records relating to forms of discipline other than expulsion. RETENTION: 1 year. (Exempt from destruction request requirement.)

3350-02 STUDENT GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING FILES - Individual student counseling files maintained by school counselors, including parental conference reports. RETENTION: 1 year. (Exempt from destruction request requirement.)

RETENTION NOTE: It is an exception to the retention period for this record group that guidance and counseling files programmatically associated with participation in special programs as described in Part 3, Schedule SD must be retained for the same period as the student records for the special program. In addition, records of counseling in any federally funded special guidance or counseling project or program must be retained for 7 years beyond cessation of counseling services to the student.