Child Abuse Prevention Plan – Records

Schools that keep excellent records are more successful in showing that policies were followed, and reasonable steps were taken in any situation. If a claim is filed, or the police launch an investigation, your insurance company and authorities will be interested in your recordkeeping. Having well-documented procedures can help bolster your school’s position.

As a part of your abuse prevention program, take care to preserve documents related to employment, screening, injuries and discipline, sexual abuse reporting, the Americans with Disabilities Act, foreign workers, maintenance, and student drop-off/pick-up procedures. In addition:

• Consult with your school attorney regarding best practices for document retention. How long you keep any document often is governed by federal, state, or local laws.
   
• Develop strong records and paperwork practices. All school records should be maintained by school leadership for an appropriate duration, as directed by your school’s attorney.
   
• Ensure that employees, maintenance and cleaning staff, coaches, and volunteers understand the importance of accurate documentation and preserving all records.
   
• Implement extensive measures and precautions to ensure that records are not accidentally discarded or lost. Those precautions extend to keeping sensitive student information protected from anyone who does not have the right to view the records. If you retain hard copies, the documents should be kept in a locked cabinet accessible only to the leaders who need to view them. If your ministry decides to scan the documents and store them electronically, it’s best to keep them in a password-protected file.

Sample Policy Language
Record Keeping

Records will be maintained for all students, staff members, coaches, and regular volunteers.

All school records will be maintained by the [school director, principal, dean, head of school] for an appropriate length of time as directed by the school’s attorney.

The [school director, principal, dean, head of school] will prepare a written Notice of Injury or Disciplinary Action Report whenever an injury or disciplinary action occurs during school activities. The report will be included in school records for an appropriate length of time.

The [school director, principal, dean, head of school] will maintain records containing personal or private information in a locked cabinet or secure location. This information will be released only in consultation with the school's attorney.

Posted March 2023
This is a sample policy only. Your organization is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. Accordingly, this document should not be used or adopted by your organization without first being reviewed and approved by a licensed attorney in your area. Brotherhood Mutual assumes no liability in preparation and distribution of this sample document.