As we do accreditation around the world, one questions that comes up all the time is, “What records do we need to keep?”

In the ILCS/FLOCS accreditation model, records are a school’s only valid way to empirically demonstrate school improvement. However, when we say the word “records” most school employees only think in terms of “Student Records”. While that is a significant portion of records and the most important when validating student achievement gains, a school must also consider (along with the sponsoring church) other significant records that validate a schools compliance with accreditation and certification standards, as well as federal and state laws. These include:

  • Accounting Records
  • Bank Records
  • Corporate Records
  • Employee Records
  • Real Property Records
  • Special Records
  • Student Records

League of Christian Schools always advises that POLICY PRECEDE PRACTICE. For the most part, Christian schools have sound practices when it comes to record keeping. However, finding a trail of Board-approved policies pertaining to the practices is harder to find. Since a significant amount of liability lies in the ability to produce records, it would benefit any administrator and the governing board to outline a specific Records Retention Policy that would be over-arching and include the above-stated records1. It is not necessary, nor is it recommended that all the above information be contained in a school handbook, but there should be some statement regarding the maintenance of records, confidentiality, and release of records.

We have created a helpful document that you can download from our member area outlining the types of documents and the length of time they need to be kept.

Log into the member portal and select School Resources to download the guide.

1. This policy would be for internal purposes and would not be published for parents and students.

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