The Marlborough School Committee recognizes that it is necessary to maintain a personnel record keeping system and as the appointed authority, the Superintendent, is designated as the keeper of the records.

 Information about staff is required for the daily administration of the school system, for implementing salary and other personnel policies, for budget and financial planning, for responding to appropriate inquiries about employees and for meeting School Committee, state, and federal educational reporting requirements. To these ends, the Marlborough School Department will implement a comprehensive and efficient system of personnel records as required by law.

A. The Personnel files (Personnel, Payroll/Business and Medical) will be accurately maintained by the central administrative office for each present and former employee. These files will contain applications for employment, references, and records relative to compensation, payroll deductions, evaluations, address, phone and any other pertinent information.

B. The Superintendent will be the records manager for personnel files and will have the overall responsibility for maintaining and preserving the confidentiality of files. The Superintendent may, however, designate another official to perform the duties of records management on the understanding that this official is to be held responsible for granting or denying access to records on the basis of these guidelines.

C. All personnel records will be considered confidential and not open to the public inspection, and access to files will be limited to school officials authorized by the Superintendent to use the files for purposes of this policy as cited above. No other persons or agencies may have access to information in a staff member’s file except when the staff member has given written consent for the release of specific information to a specific person or agency, or when such information is subpoenaed or ordered for release by a court of law.

D. Lists of district employee’s names and home addresses will be released only to governmental agencies as required for official reports or union leadership if applicable for the employee and required by law.  Whenever there is a change in address, email or phone number, employees must take action to update the personnel file.

E. A staff member may have access to his/her own personnel files at all reasonable times (i.e. during regular office hours). The right of access includes the right to make written objections to any information contained in the files. Any written objection must be signed by the staff member and will become part of the staff member’s file. No information is to be removed from the staff member’s files without the express consent of the records manager. All employees must sign acknowledging their access, including name date and time of review, upon reviewing the file(s) and if copies are made, this must be documented. When a staff member reviews the file(s), the individual must be accompanied by a member of the Department or the Superintendent or their designee.

F. No complaint, commendation, suggestion, or evaluation may become part of the evaluation file (and must be copied to the Personnel File) unless it meets the following requirements:

1. The comment is signed by the person making the complaint, commendation, suggestion, or evaluation.

2. The Superintendent or employee’s principal or other supervisor has provided the employee with a copy of the comment for inspection prior to its placement in the personnel file.

3. The employee may offer a denial or explanation of the complaint, commendation, suggestion, or evaluation, and any such denial or explanation will become a part of the staff member’s file.

Approved: 4/16/16

Approved: 11/10/20

Approved: 7/24/24