§ 4

(a) Each school shall designate an official records custodian who is responsible for the maintenance, care and security of all school student records, whether or not such records are in his personal custody or control. (b) The official records custodian shall take all reasonable measures to prevent unauthorized access to or dissemination of school student records. (c) Information contained in or added to a school student record shall be limited to information which is of clear relevance to the education of the student. (d) Information added to a student temporary record after the effective date of this Act shall include the name, signature and position of the person who has added such information and the date of its entry into the record. (e) Each school shall maintain student permanent records and the information contained therein for not less than 60 years after the student has transferred, graduated or otherwise permanently withdrawn from the school. (f) Each school shall maintain student temporary records and the information contained in those records for not less than 5 years after the student has transferred, graduated, or otherwise withdrawn from the school. However, student temporary records shall not be disclosed except as provided in Section 5 or 6 or by court order. A school may maintain indefinitely anonymous information from student temporary records for authorized research, statistical reporting or planning purposes, provided that no student or parent can be individually identified from the information maintained. (g) The principal of each school or the person with like responsibilities or his or her designate shall periodically review each student temporary record for verification of entries and elimination or correction of all inaccurate, misleading, unnecessary or irrelevant information. The State Board shall issue regulations to govern the periodic review of the student temporary records and length of time for maintenance of entries to such records. (h) Before any school student record is destroyed or information deleted therefrom, the parent or the student, if the rights and privileges accorded to the parent under this Act have been transferred to the student, and, if the student is in the legal custody of the Department of Children and Family Services, the Department's Office of Education and Transition Services shall be given reasonable prior notice in accordance with rules adopted by the State Board and an opportunity to copy the record and information proposed to be destroyed or deleted. A school may provide reasonable prior notice under this subsection to a parent or student through (i) notice in the school's parent or student handbook, (ii) publication in a newspaper published in the school district or, if no newspaper is published in the school district, in a newspaper of general circulation within the school district, (iii) U.S. mail delivered to the last known address of the parent or student, or (iv) other means provided the notice is confirmed to have been received. (i) No school shall be required to separate permanent and temporary school student records of a student not enrolled in such school on or after the effective date of this Act or to destroy any such records, or comply with the provisions of paragraph (g) of this Section with respect to such records, except (1) in accordance with the request of the parent that any or all of such actions be taken in compliance with the provisions of this Act or (2) in accordance with regulations adopted by the State Board.

Legislative History

(Source: P.A. 101-161, eff. 1-1-20; 102-199, eff. 7-1-22 .)