Destruction of College Records

Before destroying any college record, make sure the record is eligible for destruction.

Destroying any record identified on the college Records Retention Schedule must be authorized and documented by Records and Information Management. This includes college records in digital format, such as hard drives, shared drives, images, email, etc.

View Guideline/Procedure 3.0901.01.2 ‒ Disposition of College Records.

Records That Have Met Retention Date

1. Records listed on the College Retention Schedule that meet retention requirements must have documentation and approval before shredding. This can be done by filling out an Authorization for Records Disposition form. The form requires a record series number, description, start and end date and the approvals of the Records Custodian and Records Manager. (For inactive records storage, see Inactive Records on Retention Schedule.)
2. Records not on College Retention Schedule must be evaluated by Records and Information Management and then destroyed and documented according to ACC procedures.

Boxing Your Records

• Use any box no larger than the standard “regulation” box (12″W x 10″H x 15″L). The boxes that paper comes in work well.
• Call Records Management to verify what has been sent in the past. (If the series has previously been destroyed or we are storing it in inactive storage already, different procedures apply.)
• Group your records by date (fiscal year: September – August; calendar year: January – December; program year: June – July or by semester). Fill out the Authorization to Destroy Records form.
• Complete a shipping label for each box. Attach the label to the center of the front of the box.
• Place the signed Authorization to Destroy Records form in the first box of each series.
• Call 512-223-1170 with the total number of boxes and we will order a pick-up.

Destruction of Non-Retention Schedule (Non-record) Materials

Non-record materials fall into two categories: confidential information and general information.

• Confidential/Sensitive Information: All non-record material that contains confidential information (refer to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act – FERPA) and Texas Public Information Act for details on privacy information) such as Social Security Numbers, home addresses, telephone numbers, grades, and other personal privacy information must be rendered unrecognizable.
  • Material that includes sensitive or confidential information must be placed in one of our confidential records bins or sent to us for shredding. Document Shredding Service Schedule.  Procedures for sending confidential materials to the Records Center for destruction is outlined below.
• General Information: Non-record material that does not include confidential information may be recycled. Find out more about the College’s Recycling Program by visiting the Facilities and Operations website.

Procedures

1. Determine whether documents are “non-record” material.
2. Pack different record types separately.
3. Complete the Non-Record Material Transfer form.
   • Before completing the Non-Records Material Transfer form, make sure the records you are attempting to destroy are not on the College Retention Schedule. Contact Records and Information Management staff if you are unsure or have questions.
4. When you click the Submit Request button, a confirmation page will be displayed.  Print the confirmation page and include it in the first box of records. 
5. Print shipping labels. The shipping label is designed to print on the ACC generic labels (available through General Stores). You may also print on plain paper and tape to the box. Complete the label information and adhere a label to each box.
6. Your request is automatically emailed to the Records Center for processing. Staff will notify you by email with authorization and instructions regarding the transfer of your records. 

Remember to purge your files (paper and digital) systematically and consistently.

• By semester (January – May; June – August; August – December)
• Semiannually (January – June or July – December)
• Each calendar year (January – December)
• Each fiscal year (September – August)