Adult and Community Learning Services (ACLS)

ACLS Policy Memo 2025-02: Records Retention Update

To:	CALC, AECI, and SABES Directors
From:	Wyvonne Stevens-Carter, Adult Education State Director
Date:	October 17, 2024

The following clarifies records retention policy update for ACLS-funded Community Adult Learning Centers (CALCs).

Records Retention (State Requirement)
Grantees and subcontractors of DESE must abide by the 815 CMR 2.00: State grants, federal grant awards, federal subgrants and subsidies | Mass.gov. This regulation requires that all DESE grant and subaward recipients maintain all files, records, and documents related to the program. This includes all financial, program, and data records for seven years beginning on the first day of the final payment of the grant or such longer period as is necessary for resolution to any claims, litigation, negotiation, and/or audit.

Financial and data records must be made available for review by DESE upon request. Falsification of required documentation may trigger a data and/or fiscal monitoring review from DESE, conditions placed on current funding, or termination of the grant.

Retention is determined by the content of the record, not its format. Therefore, paper records may be digitized and retained in electronic format. Grantees that choose this option may destroy the paper records.

Grantees are expected to establish formal procedures that address record management including recordkeeping and disposition of records. For guidance, see Electronic Records Management Guidelines (state.ma.us) , guide.pdf (state.ma.us) (page 36), and Born-Digital and Digitized Records FAQs (state.ma.us).

This policy will be included in the addendum to the FY24-FY28 Massachusetts Policies for Effective Adult Education in Community Adult Learning Centers (CALCs) and Correctional Institutions (AECIs) .

Last Updated: October 23, 2024