Talladega County Schools Special Education Records to be Destroyed.

According to the Alabama Administrative Code, 290-8-9.08(2)(h), an education agency must retain a copy of the education records for five (5) years after the termination of the special education program in which they were used.  At the end of five (5) years retention period, the education agency will provide written notice to parents to inform them that the special education records are no longer needed and will be destroyed.  This serves as notice that special education records for students who were exited (graduated, transferred, not eligible, etc.) from Talladega County Schools before June 2019, are no longer needed by the school system and will be destroyed.  Records are scheduled to be destroyed on July 26, 2024.

To request records, please contact the Talladega County School’s central office at 256-315-5100.

Talladega County Schools Special Services Department follows record retention guidelines outlined in the Alabama Administrative Code Chapter 290-8-9.08(2)(H)1-3 and the Local Boards of Education Functional Analysis and Records Disposition Authority.

Local Boards of Education Functional Analysis and Records Disposition Authority (RDA)
Special Education Student Records (7.02)/Gifted and Talented Student Records (GEP Folders) (7.03). Records for each student enrolled in a special education program include identifying information, parental consent forms, and the most current eligibility documentation. Disposition in this edition of the Records Disposition Authority (RDA)—“Retain 5 years after the termination of the special education program in which they were used”—adheres exactly to the wording of Chapter 290-8-9.08(2)(h)1-3 of the Alabama Administrative Code, which provides rules for the retention of special education student records. Under the revised disposition, the Alabama State Department of Education has directed that on January 1, 2014, all records from January 1, 2009, and back may be destroyed, regardless of whether the student is active or inactive in the school system. The special education program referred to is the program created for an individual student, not the local school or school system’s overall special education program. The state department has also requested a minor change in disposition for records of gifted and talented students (7.03), with the phrase “reaches age 18" replacing “exits school.”

The Alabama Administrative Code (AAC) Chapter 290-8-9.08(2)(h)1-3 (h) Retention and Destruction of the Records of Special Education Children.

1. The education agency must retain a copy of the education records containing personally identifiable information for a period of five (5) years after the termination of the special education program for which they were used.

2. A permanent education record that contains the child’s name, address, telephone number, his/her grades, record of attendance for special education services, classes attended, grade level completed, and year completed may be maintained without a time limitation.

3. At the end of the five-year retention period, the education agency must provide written notice to parents that informs them that the special education records are no longer needed. To meet the written notice requirement, education agencies may provide public notice in the newspaper which includes the years of the records that will be destroyed and the date of destruction. Individual written notice to parents in the form of a letter will also meet this requirement. The letter must also include the years of the records to be destroyed as well as the date of destruction. There must be at least ten (10) days between the written notice and the date of destruction. The parents may choose to receive the information or have it destroyed by the education agency. When the education agency is unable to locate the parents, the information no longer needed by the agency may be destroyed. The education agency is not prohibited from retaining special education records indefinitely as long as confidentiality is ensured.