Adopted:          10/17/1988

Revised:            03/17/2008                                                                                         526

School District of Prairie Farm

Personnel Files

Procedure

A.        WHAT RECORDS ARE MAINTAINED?

Prairie Farm School District maintains centralized personnel files on each and every individual employee to provide a work history of each employee.  Personnel files are confidential.  Employee records and personnel files are maintained and stored by the District. All personnel files remain the property of the Prairie Farm School District.

            In obtaining and retaining employee information, the District Administrator substantiates the job-relatedness of the information and its relevancy to specific employer decisions. State and federal laws also regulate employee information gathering and retention requirements for employers. (Wis. Stat. 19.21)

            In basic terms, personnel files contain any items which bear a direct relationship to the  employee/employer relationship.  For example, any documents which relate to:

            1.         The employee's recruitment, selection, and retention;

            2.         The employee's job responsibilities;

            3.         The employee's past, present or future ability to perform work assignments.

B.         WORKING FILES

The District may keep working files of the employees, where the material is specifically related to the employee's current job performance, such as, but not limited to:

Copies of the employee's previous performance evaluation forms; Material relating to a probationary employee's progress;

Any documentation of a supportive or investigative nature pertaining to ongoing performance or discipline situations. This documentation is gathered and held by the District prior to final action being taken. 

C.        LOGISTICS OF THE REVIEW OF PERSONNEL RECORDS

            Prairie Farm School District considers employee personnel files to be highly confidential. Viewing of such is limited to the individual employee, and when appropriate, District Administration.

            An employee who requests to view his/her personnel file must make his/her request in    writing to the District Administrator to arrange a mutually agreeable date and time.  The  District shall provide the employee with the opportunity to inspect the employee's personnel records within seven (7) working days after the employee makes the request  for inspection. The inspection shall take place in the District Administrator’s office.

            In any case, the Employer may allow the inspection to take place at a time other than working hours or at a place other than where the records are maintained if that time or place would be more convenient for the employee.  (Wis. Stat. 103.13 (2)).

            In accordance with Wisconsin Statute 103.13, the Prairie Farm School District permits  the employee to inspect any personnel documents in the personnel file which are used for determining that employee's qualifications for employment, promotion, transfer, additional compensation, termination or other disciplinary action and medical records.

D.        WHO HAS ACCESS TO THE FILE?

            An employee may designate, in writing, a representative of the   employee's union,  collective bargaining unit or other designated representative to inspect the employee's personnel records.  The District shall allow such a designated representative to inspect the employee's personnel records in the same manner as provided an employee.  

            Further, Prairie Farm School District will not furnish information about our employees to third parties without employee written authorization except to verify employment.

E.         PERSONNEL RECORD CORRECTION

            If the employee disagrees with any information contained in the personnel records, a removal or correction of that information may be mutually agreed upon by the Employer and the employee.  If an agreement cannot be reached, the employee may submit a written statement explaining the employee's position.  The employer shall attach the employee's statement to the disputed portion of the personnel record.  The employee's   statement shall be included whenever that disputed portion of the personnel record is released to a third party as long as the disputed record is a part of the file.

F.         EXCEPTIONS

            The right of the employee or the employee's designated representative to inspect his/her personnel records does not apply to:

            1.         Records relating to the investigation of possible criminal offenses committed by  the employee;

            2.         Letters of reference for that employee;

            3.         Any portion of a test document except that the employee may see a cumulative total test score for either a section of the test document or for the entire test document;

            4.         Materials used by the Employer for staff management planning, including judgments for recommendations concerning future salary increases and other wage treatment, management bonus plans, promotions and job assignments or  other comments for ratings used for the Employer's planning purposes; 

            5.         Information of a personal nature about a person other than the employee if  disclosure of the information would constitute a clear and warranted invasion of  the other person's privacy;

            6.         Records relevant to any other pending claim between the employer and the employee which may be discovered in a judicial proceeding.  (Wis. Stat.103.13(6)).

G.        COPIES

            The right of the employee or the employee's representative to inspect personnel and  medical records includes the right to copy or receive a copy of the records. 

            The District may charge a reasonable fee for providing copies of records.

            Items contained with the personnel file which are not viewable by the employee are removed by the District Administration before the mutually agreed upon viewing time. The types of documents not viewable by an employee should be discussed with the employee at the file inspection time.  To safeguard employee privacy, any documents containing more that one employee name will have those names other than the file name deleted.

H.        PENALTIES

            Prairie Farm School District will not tolerate any mishandling of employee information by any District employee. Such occurrences will subject the party to discipline up to and including discharge.

I.          PURPOSE / LENGTH OF DETENTION

            In retaining employee information Prairie Farm School District continues to balance the individual's right to privacy, the requirements of federal and state laws and the business  necessity for retaining such information. All personnel and medical records will be maintained and retained in accordance with District policy and existing state and federal laws.