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Records Retention

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Records Retention Requirements: 

Records for all Programs and Activities Serving Minors (Programs/Activities) must be retained in accordance with Board of Regents and UGA policies. It is the Program/Activity Administrator’s responsibility, in coordination with department leadership, to understand the requirements and to ensure records are properly retained.  

  • Certain records pertaining to Minors should be retained for a period of three (3) years after the Minor reaches the age of eighteen (18). 
  • Records pertaining to Program/Activity Staff should be retained for five (5) years.   

Minimum Retention Requirements: 

While Programs/Activities might have many different records, the following must be retained for all Programs/Activities: 

(A) For Program/Activity Staff: 

  • Proof of Successful Background Investigation (this typically takes the form of the approval to hire e-mail from your unit’s HR office) 
  • Proof of Required Training Completion (Mandated Reporter and Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment/Sexual Misconduct)
  • Signed Staff Code of Conduct 

(B) For Minors attending a Program/Activity: 

  • All Agreement, Consent, Waiver, and Media Release Forms signed by parents/guardians 
  • Signed Participant Code of Conduct 

Note that, depending on your Program/Activity, the above list may not be inclusive of all requirements.  For example, Program/Activity records may also include:  applications; enrollment records; progress reports and assessments; immunization records; activity records; and lists of attendees. Refer to the USG Records Retention Schedules as you make record retention plans. 

Departmental Responsibility: 

Department leadership are encouraged to work with Program/Activity Administrators to ensure required records are retained in accordance with USG and UGA records retention policies. It is recommended that centralized record keeping at a Departmental level occurs in lieu of records being maintained solely by the Program Administrator. This will mitigate the potential loss of records if the Program/Activity Administrator departs the unit. 

If Departments need assistance with centralized electronic record keeping, EITS can assist with the Content 7 document storage system

Contact the Director of Compliance at programsforminors@uga.edu or 706-542-7255 with any questions on record retention requirements for Minors Programs/Activities.