401.06 - General Personnel Records
401.06 - General Personnel RecordsThe school district will maintain personnel records on employees. The records are important for the daily administration of the educational program, for implementing board policy, for budget and financial planning, and for meeting state and federal requirements.
The records will include, but not be limited to, records necessary for the daily administration of the school district, salary records, evaluations, application for employment, references, and other items needed to carry out board policy. Employee personnel files are school district records and are considered confidential records and therefore are not generally open to public inspection or accessibility. Only in certain limited instances, when the employee has given a signed consent, will employee personnel records be accessible to individuals other than the employee or authorized school officials.
Employees may have access to their personnel files, with the exception of letters of reference, and copy items from their personnel files at a time mutually agreed upon between the superintendent and the employee. The school district may charge a reasonable fee for each copy made. Employees, however, will not be allowed access to the employment references written on behalf of the employee. Board members will generally only have access to an employee's file when it is necessary because of an employee related matter before the board.
It is the responsibility of the superintendent to keep employees' personnel files current. The board secretary is the custodian of employee records.
It is the responsibility of the superintendent to develop administrative regulations for the implementation of this policy.
Legal Reference: Iowa Code chs. 20; 21; 22; 91B (2007).
Clymer v. City of Cedar Rapids, No. 209/97-1705 (Iowa 1999).
Des Moines Independent Community School District v. Des Moines Register and Tribune Company, 487 N.W. 2d 666 (Iowa 1992).
City of Dubuque v. Telegraph Herald, Inc., 297 N.W. 2d 523 (Iowa 1980).
Cross Reference: 402.01 Release of Credit Information
403 General Personnel Health and Well-Being
808 Care, Maintenance and Disposal of School District Records
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401.06R1 - General Personnel Records Regulation
401.06R1 - General Personnel Records RegulationEmployee Personnel Records Content
- Employee personnel records may contain the following information:
- Personal information including, but not limited to, name, address, telephone number, emergency numbers, birth date and spouse.
- Individual employment contract.
- Evaluations.
- Application, resume and references.
- Salary information.
- Copy of the employee's license or certificate, if needed for the position.
- Educational transcripts.
- Assignment.
- Records of disciplinary matters.
- Employee health and medical records are kept in a file separate from the employee's personnel records. Health and medical records may contain, but are not limited to:
- Medical professional signed physical form.
- Sick or long-term disability leave days.
- Worker's compensation claims.
- Reasonable accommodation made by the school district to accommodate the employee's disability.
- Employee's medical history.
- Employee emergency names and numbers.
- Family and medical leave request forms.
- The following are considered public personnel records available for inspection:
- The name and compensation of the individual, including any written agreement establishing compensation or any other terms of employment, except for that information that is otherwise protected. “Compensation” includes the value of benefits conferred including, but not limited to: casualty, disability, life or health insurance, other health or wellness benefits, vacation, holiday and sick leave, severance payments, retirement benefits and deferred compensation;
- The dates the individual was employed by the government body;
- The positions the individual holds or has held with the government body;
- The educational institutions attended by the individual, including any diplomas and degrees earned, and the names of the individual’s previous employers, positions previously held and dates of previous employment;
- The fact that the individual resigned in lieu of termination, was discharged, or was demoted as a result of a disciplinary action, and the documented reasons and rationale for the resignation in lieu of termination, the discharge, or the demotion. “Demoted” or “demotion” mean a change of an employee from a position in a given classification to a position in a classification having a lower pay grade; and
- Personal information in confidential personnel records of government bodies relating to student employees shall only be released pursuant to the Family Educational Privacy Rights Act (FERPA.)
Applicant File Records Content
Records on applicants for positions with the school district are maintained in the central administration office. The records will include, but not be limited to:
- Application for employment.
- Resume.
- References.
- Evidence of appropriate license or certificate, if necessary for the position for which the individual applied.
- Affirmative action form, if submitted.
Record Access
Only authorized school officials will have access to an employee's records without the written consent of the employee. Authorized school officials may include, but not be limited to, the superintendent, building principal, or board secretary. In the case of a medical emergency, the school nurse or other first aid or safety personnel may have access to the employee's health or medical file without the consent of the employee. Board members will generally only have access to an employee's personnel file without the consent of the employee when necessary for the conducting of board business.
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