Board Policies & Administrative Procedures

Background

The Division directs each principal to maintain a record for each student enrolled in its schools to better track and enhance the educational opportunity for that student.

Procedures

1. The Principal shall be responsible for the accuracy, accessibility, security, transfer and annual review of student(s) records.
2. Each student record shall contain:
   1. A birth certificate showing the student’s name as registered under the Vital Statistics Act, or, if the student was born in a jurisdiction outside Alberta, the student’s name as registered in that jurisdiction, and any other surnames by which the student is known;
   2. The student identification number assigned to the student by the Minister and any student identification number assigned to the student by the Division;
   3. Name of the student’s parent(s), a copy of any separation agreement or court order referred to in the Education Act;
   4. Personal data, including: birthday, gender addresses and telephone numbers of the student and of the student’s parent;
   5. Citizenship of the student and, if the student is not Canadian, the type of visa or other document to which the student is lawfully admitted to Canada and the expiry date of that visa or other document;
   6. Division of which the student is a resident student;
   7. Name of all schools attended and dates of enrolment;
   8. Annual summary or summary at the end of each semester of the student’s achievement or progress in courses and programs in which the student is enrolled;
   9. Results of diagnostic, achievement and diploma examinations administered by or on the behalf of the province;
   10. Results of any standardized tests locally administered to all or a large portion of the students or to a specific grade level of students;
   11. In relation to any formal intellectual, behavioural or emotional assessment or evaluation administered individually to the student by the Division,
       1. The name of the assessment or evaluation;
       2. A summary of the results;
       3. The date of the assessment or evaluation;
       4. The name of the individual who administered the assessment or evaluation;
       5. An interpretive report relating to the assessment or evaluation;
       6. Any action taken as program planning as a result of the assessment, evaluation or interpretive report.
   12. In relation to any independent formal intellectual, behavioural or emotional assessment of evaluation requested by the student’s parent and administered to the student by an independent party:
       1. The name of the assessment or evaluation;
       2. A summary of the results;
       3. The date of the assessment or evaluation;
       4. The name of the individual who administered the assessment or evaluation;
       5. An interpretive report relating to the assessment or evaluation;
       6. Any action taken as program planning as a result of the assessment, evaluation or interpretive report.
   13. Any health information that the parent(s) wishes to be placed in the student record;
   14. Annual attendance summary;
   15. If eligible, request for instruction in French;
   16. Any formal education plan (IPP, etc.) when devised;
   17. Information about any suspension of more than one (1) day or expulsion relating to the student. This is to be kept for a minimum of one (1) year and a maximum of three (3) years.
   18. A notation indicating whether the student is Status Indian/First Nations, Métis or Inuit, if the parent wishes to provide this information.
       
       
3. The Principal shall use discretion in adding any other sensitive or confidential information not included in the list above.
   
   
4. Access to the information in a student record shall be limited to:
   1. The parent(s) of the student.
   2. The student if sixteen (16) years of age or older.
   3. A school employee on a need to know basis.
   4. The Minister or a delegated party.
      
      
5. Access is permitted to materials such as specialized tests that require interpretation or explanation only if such qualified person is available.
   
   
6. Student records shall be retained at the last school the student attended for at least seven (7) years after the student normally would have been expected to graduate from Grade twelve (12), unless such records are transferred as outlined in clause 7.1.
   
   
7. The transfer of student records, when requested in writing by the Principal of the receiving school, shall be handled on the following basis:
   1. If a student transfers to another school in Alberta, the original student records file shall be sent to the school.
   2. If a student transfers to another school outside Alberta, a duplicate copy of the student records file may be sent to the school and the original kept by the original school as outlined in section 6.

Reference

Section 56 Education Act
Student Records Regulation
Student Evaluation Regulation
Children First Act
Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act
Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act
Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Regulation
Public Health Act
Criminal Justice Act
Vital Statistics Act
Alberta Limitations Act
Section 23 Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
Youth Justice Act
Youth Criminal Justice Act (Canada) 

Approved: December 1, 2009

Amended: November 12, 2000; August 21, 2018