Grades and other student records aren't stored properly in DeKalb County, according to one of the school district's own consultants.
The county appears to be breaking parts of a state law that requires transcripts, standardized test scores and other "vital" records to be preserved forever, the consultant, Management Advisory Group, said in a recent report.
The Virginia-based company was hired by Superintendent Cheryl Atkinson and the school board last fall for a top-down assessment of the school district's personnel structure. The school board has already implemented some of the firm's recommendations, such as one last month to streamline job classifications and adjust pay.
Management Advisory Group got a contract for up to $175,000 for a review of the district. Among other things, the review, which was obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution under the Georgia Open Records Act, found substandard records retention.
"According to state law, district-created student records that include enrollment, attendance, transcript, and standardized test scores must be permanently retained and are considered vital records," the report said.
DeKalb keeps paper records in a primary warehouse that is not climate-controlled and is inappropriate for safe, long-term storage of important records, the report said. School systems are supposed to make copies of records and store them off-site, the report continued, but "DeKalb does not appear to be in compliance with this law, nor does DeKalb appear to have a records management plan as required."
District spokesman Walter Woods disputed the consultant's claim that the district was violating the law, yet said DeKalb plans to make improvements, such as making digital copies of records.
"Now that we know we have room to improve our document warehousing, we're working on a solution," Woods said.
He said no vital records had been lost and that DeKalb has safely stored documents dating to the 1940s.
Diane Winterich, a parent at Lakeside High School, was troubled by the findings regarding the records. "I hope this is something that's going to make them wise up and get organized," she told Channel 2 Action News.
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