Q: What is a public record?

A: A "public record" is defined as any document, book, paper, map, photograph, digitized electronic material, or other official documentary material, regardless of physical form or characteristics, made, produced, executed or received by any agency or officer pursuant to law or in connection with the transaction of public business and preserved or appropriate for preservation by such agency or officer, or any successor thereof, as evidence of the organization, function, policies, decisions, procedures, or other activities thereof, or because of the informational data contained therein. Public records can have several different forms: paper, video or microfilm. This also includes those public records created, used and maintained in electronic form, such as emails, websites, and databases (50 ILCS 205/3) (from Ch. 116, par. 43.103).

Q: What is records management?

A: "Records management" is a process for managing the creation, distribution, filing, retention, storage and disposal of records, which is administratively and legally sound. It aims to serve the operational needs of the school district and preserve an adequate historical record.

Q: Why should D300 have a records management policy and procedure?

A: Policies and procedures are necessary to the management of any organization, particularly those as complex as a local school district. D300's policies support and sustain the organization's guiding principles and goals to preserve organizational memory for the D300 community, by providing and promoting appropriate records retention, maintenance, and disposition processes according to federal and state statutory requirements.