Basics of E-mail Retention

1. Basics of E-mail Retention

3. Plano ISD Records Retention Schedule

4. Page 18 of the Records Control Schedule • E-mail cannot be scheduled as a single record series, but depends on the content and function. Generally, you should keep only those e-mails that are your records. • Value of Records – Identify the content and function of e-mails and attachments for record retention requirements. E-mail records follow the same criteria as paper records. • Record Copy – Sender copy is the record copy and the sender is custodian of that record copy. Recipient copy is also a record if: • You need to take action based on message • Message required for adequate documentation of action

5. Administrative Correspondence– Decision making correspondence Incoming/outgoing correspondence pertaining to the formulation, planning, implementation, interpretation, modification or redefinition of programs, services, or projects and the administrative regulations, policies and procedures that govern them. *Apply the Records Control Schedule – once they have met retention, e-mail records should be disposed of or kept permanently according to the retention schedule.

6. General Correspondence Non-administrative incoming/outgoing and internal correspondence pertaining to or arising from the routine operations of the policies, programs, services or projects. These records are related to your specific job responsibilities. *Two years

7. Transitory Correspondence Routine correspondence, meeting agendas, etc. that have limited and short-lived administrative value only. *As long as Administratively Valuable (AV)

8. Delete at any time Personal e-mail Spam Unsolicited e-mail (vendor ads, news articles, non-work related e-mail from coworker CCs: E-mail that is the responsibility of someone else Convenience copies (usually attachments) – record is retained elsewhere

9. Helpful Hints • Do not combine business and personal e-mail. Work done from personal accounts should be transferred to the school district system and e-mails not valuable to work should be transferred to personal accounts and never saved. E-mail on personal devices or in personal accounts regarding business is subject to legal discovery. • Use meaningful subject lines to correctly identify the record. Identify sender, recipient(s) and date and time message sent and/or received • Set up Folders and Sub Folder to organize e-mail – Identify and categorize according to function and retention schedules. This process makes it easier to find records and delete at the appropriate time • Preserve the “record-copy” – this is the official copy for reference and preservation to which the retention schedule applies. (Who is the “owner” of the retention for the record?) • Preserve the thread, not each individual e-mail. The last e-mail in the thread containing the entirety of the correspondence, becomes the record copy. • Delete email regularly – “Delete Delete” • Review your Sent folder regularly – clean up threads, apply retention

10. Questions to ask yourself: Is the content related to your job? Are you the custodian of the record?