Record Retention
Lamar State College Orange maintains a comprehensive records management program that governs how institutional documents are created, stored, maintained, and ultimately disposed of according to Texas state law and federal regulations.
LSCO operates under a certified Records Retention Schedule of over 250 distinct record series that encompass every aspect of college operations. This schedule has been approved by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission under Agency Code 787 (Certification No. 5, Amendment No. 1) and ensures compliance with Texas Government Code Chapter 441, Subchapter L.
Frequently Asked Questions
At LSCO, an institutional record includes any documented information—regardless of physical format—that is created, received, or maintained during the conduct of college business. This encompasses traditional paper documents, electronic files, digital communications, audio recordings, video materials, and multimedia content.
- Official Records: Require adherence to specified retention timeframes and formal disposal procedures as outlined in our retention schedule.
- Working Files and Convenience Copies: Such as draft documents, personal reference materials, and duplicate copies maintained for convenience may be discarded when no longer useful without formal procedures.
Several critical steps must be completed before any institutional record can be destroyed:
- Retention Compliance: Verify that the full retention period specified in our schedule has elapsed.
- Legal Clearance: Confirm no pending legal proceedings, audits, public information requests, investigations, or administrative actions involve the records in question.
- Documentation: Complete appropriate authorization forms and maintain destruction logs as required.
- Special Considerations: Review any grant funding requirements that may impose additional retention obligations beyond our standard schedule.
LSCO's retention schedule employs a systematic coding approach containing 274 distinct record series that encompass every aspect of college operations. All college records must be retained in accordance with this schedule, which specifies how long each type of record must be kept.
- Find your Record Series Number, Title, and Retention Period
- Apply retention timelines based on Fiscal Year (FE), or Calendar Year (CE), or event-based (AC) retention codes
- Review Historical Preservation codes (O, A/I, R/O) for archival requirements
Records must be retained for their full retention period before being eligible for disposal. Use the retention codes to determine when records can be destroyed:
- FE+x = based on Fiscal Year End (August 31)
- CE+x = based on Calendar Year End (December 31)
- AC+x = based on an event (e.g., separation, last enrollment, project completion)
Example: Records marked FE+3 created during fiscal year 2023 become eligible for disposal after August 31, 2026.
Records must be preserved beyond their normal retention period when involved in:
- Active or anticipated litigation
- Ongoing internal or external audits
- Open public information requests
- Regulatory investigations or reviews
- Administrative proceedings or appeals
This preservation requirement remains in effect until all related proceedings conclude and all resulting issues reach final resolution.