The school district shall 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 shall 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. However, employees 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 shall be the responsibility of the superintendent to keep employees’ personnel file current. The board secretary shall be the custodian of employee records.
It shall be the responsibility of the superintendent to develop administrative regulations for the implementation of this policy.
Legal Reference: Iowa Code chapters 20; 21; 22; 91B (1999).
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: 402.1 Release of Credit Information
403 Employees’ Health and Well-Being
708 Care, Maintenance and Disposal of School District Records
Adopted: 05/15/00
Reviewed: 04/12/2021
