§ 6-18-901 - Maintenance of permanent student records.
               	 		
6-18-901.    Maintenance of permanent student records.
    (a)  The  Department of Education, at the direction of the State Board of  Education and in cooperation with any other appropriate state agencies,  shall develop and publish an itemized listing of all information to be  maintained in a student's permanent record during enrollment in a school  district in this state.
(b)  The  permanent student record shall include all information concerning  educational programming provided a student who fails to achieve mastery  level performance on all administrations of the basic competency tests  required under the Arkansas Comprehensive Testing, Assessment, and  Accountability Program Act,    6-15-401 et seq.
(c)  Each school district shall maintain a permanent student record for each student.
(d)    (1)    (A)  A  copy of the permanent student record shall be provided to the receiving  school district upon the transfer of a student to another district.
            (B)  The  school district shall provide the copy of the student's permanent  student record to the receiving school district within ten (10) school  days after the date a request from the receiving school district is  received.
            (C)  The school  district shall not fail or refuse to provide a copy of the student's  permanent student record to the receiving school district because the  student owes money to the school district for school-related charges,  including without limitation charges for:
                  (i)  Food services;
                  (ii)  Unreturned library books; or
                  (iii)  Fees.
      (2)  Upon  request by the Division of Youth Services of the Department of Human  Services, a copy of the education record, as defined by regulations  promulgated by the Department of Education, shall be transmitted to the  division within ten (10) school days.
(e)  The  permanent student record shall be maintained by each school district  until the student receives a high school diploma or its equivalent or is  beyond the age for compulsory attendance under    6-18-201.
(f)  Nothing  in this section shall be construed to prevent the maintenance of a  permanent student record by electronic database provided that a copy of  the record can be produced for transmittal to another district upon the  transfer of the student.