Ontario Student Record (OSR) guideline

The Ontario Student Record (OSR) is the record of a student's educational progress through schools in Ontario.

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Introduction

Ontario Student Record (OSR) guideline, 2000 (revised 2020)

The Ontario Student Record (OSR) is the record of a student's educational progress through schools in Ontario. The Education Act requires that the principal of a school collect information “for inclusion in a record in respect of each pupil enrolled in the school and to establish, maintain, retain, transfer and dispose of the record”. The act also regulates access to an OSR and states that the OSR is “privileged for the information and use of supervisory officers and the principal and teachers of the school for the improvement of instruction” of the student. Each student and the parent(s) of a student who is not an adult (that is, a student who is under the age of eighteen) must be made aware of the purpose and content of, and have access to, all of the information contained in the OSR.

This guideline sets out the policies of the Ministry of Education with regard to the establishment, maintenance, use, retention, transfer, and disposal of the OSR.

This guideline will be revised as needed. Each page of the guideline is dated, and replacement pages will be provided with a revision date.

As of September 2020, an update was made to sections 6.1 and 6.2 and appendices H and I to align with Ontario Regulation 261/19, “Reciprocal Education Approach”.

The contents of this guideline have been reviewed for compliance with the provincial Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. When implementing the policies contained in this guideline or set by the school board, school staff must take into consideration the requirements of the relevant freedom of information legislation.

The OSR folder, Ontario Student Transcript, documentation file folder, and office index card are available from those a ministry -approved vendor. Samples of these OSR components are contained in appendices A, C, D, and E, respectively, to this guideline.

Other forms needed for the OSR are available on the ministry's website. Samples are provided in appendices F, G, H, I, J and K to this guideline. School boards and schools may wish to download and print these forms themselves, or they may have them printed by vendors of their choice. In either case, no changes of any kind may be made to the forms.

For instructions for obtaining the provincial report cards and for samples, boards and schools should refer to the Guide to the provincial report card, Grades 1–8 and the guide to the provincial report card, Grades 9–12.

Throughout this document, parent(s) is used to refer to both parent(s) and guardian(s)
The terms school board and board refer to district school boards and school authorities

1. Establishment of the OSR

An OSR will be established for each student who enrols in a school operated by a school board or the Ministry of Education Each student and the parent(s) of a student who is not an adult must be informed of the purpose and content of the OSR at the time of enrolment.

The OSR is an ongoing record and will be transferred, under the conditions outlined in section 6 of this guideline, if the student transfers to another school in Ontario.

Any part or parts of the OSR may be microrecorded or recorded and stored electronically in a manner that permits the printing of a clear and legible reproduction. Provision should be made to retain original documents when it is important to keep an original signature or initial on a document. Any microrecording, electronic file, reproduction, or facsimile of an OSR is subject to the security and access requirements applicable to the original OSR.

If an OSR folder is lost or inadvertently destroyed, a new OSR folder will be created. Previous information can be obtained from the current office index card and, if applicable, from the card(s) at the previous school(s). A notation will be made in the margin on the front of the new OSR folder that gives the date on which the new folder was created and the reason.

The following schools in Ontario may choose to establish and maintain an OSR for their students:

private schools
schools operated by the Crown in right of Canada, in First Nation communities (referred to as federal schools in this document)
First Nation schools operated by education authorities

All schools that establish and maintain an OSR for their students must do so in accordance with this guideline.

Schools operated by the ministry are Provincial Schools and Demonstration Schools

2. Responsibility for the OSR

School boards are responsible for ensuring compliance with the policies set out in this guideline. Boards will specify those persons responsible for performing clerical functions with respect to the establishment and maintenance of the OSR. Boards will also develop policies for determining:

the types of information beyond those specified in this guideline that could be considered to be conducive to the improvement of the instruction of the student
the uses of the information and materials contained in the OSR beyond those specified in this guideline (see section 3.4)
the relevance of the materials in the OSR, with a view to removing those no longer considered to be conducive to the improvement of the instruction of the student (see section 9)
the times other than those specified in this guideline at which it could be considered appropriate to issue report cards (see section 3.2.3.1)
the types of information beyond those required by this guideline that could be added to the office index card (see section 3.5)

In addition, boards will develop procedures to be followed to ensure:

the security of the information contained in the OSR, whether it is maintained electronically or in hard copy, during both the period of use and the period of retention and storage
the regular review of the OSR for the removal of any material that is no longer considered to be conducive to the improvement of the instruction of the student
the storage of the OSR for the period specified in the retention schedule (see section 8)
the complete and confidential disposal of material removed from the OSR

Boards will ensure that all persons that they assign to perform clerical functions with respect to the establishment and maintenance of the OSR are aware of the confidentiality provisions in the Education Act and the relevant freedom of information and protection of privacy legislation.

It is the duty of the principal of a school to:

establish, maintain, retain, transfer, and dispose of a record for each student enrolled in the school in compliance with this guideline and the policies established by the board
ensure that the materials in the OSR are collected and stored in accordance with the policies in this guideline and the policies established by the board
ensure the security of the OSR
ensure that all persons specified by a board to perform clerical functions with respect to the establishment and maintenance of the OSR are aware of the confidentiality provisions in the Education Act and the relevant freedom of information and protection of privacy legislation

3. Components of the OSR

An OSR will consist of the following components:

an OSR folder in form 1A or form 1
report cards
an Ontario Student Transcript, where applicable
a documentation file, where applicable

an office index card
additional information identified as being conducive to the improvement of the instruction of the student

3.1 The OSR folder

Principals must establish an OSR folder, form 1A (see appendix A), for students enrolling in school for the first time after September 1, 1985. For students attending school who enrolled in school before that date, the OSR folder form 1 must be adjusted to correspond to form 1A (see appendix B). The folder will contain the parts set out below in sections 3.1.1 to 3.1.7.

3.1.1 Biographical data: part A

The following information will be provided:

the student's full name and date of birth (The principal will indicate the method of verification on the folder – for example birth certificate, baptismal certificate, passport – and will initial and date the folder.)
a student number assigned by the school or the school board, where applicable
a Ministry Identification Number (MIN) or Ontario Education Number (OEN) assigned by the ministry, where applicable

3.1.2 Schools attended: part B

The following information will be provided:

the name of each school that the student has attended
the name of the board, the name of the education authority, or the name of the person who operated the private or federal school
the date of entry and the date of the last day of attendance in each grade
the name of a teacher contact

Where the student is transferring to a school from an educational institution that was not required to maintain an OSR, Part B may include any information that will complete the record of schools previously attended.

3.1.3 Retirement from an Ontario school: part C of form 1A or parts J and K of form 1

The following information will be provided on retirement (see also section 7):

the date of retirement
the student's address at retirement
the student's destination at retirement with respect to further education or employment

3.1.4 Names of parent(s): part D

The following information will be provided:

the first name of the student's parent(s) or the first name and surname of the student's parent(s) when the surname of the latter differs from that of the student
if applicable, the date of death of the parent(s) of a student opposite the name of the deceased

3.1.5 Special health information: part E

A summary of a student's special health conditions will be included when such conditions are disclosed to the principal. Entries in part E will be dated and kept current.

3.1.6 Photographs and information on school activities: parts F and G of form 1A or parts F, G, and I of form 1

This information may be inserted if it satisfies the policies on inclusion set out by the board (see section 2).

3.1.7 Additional information: part H

The following information will be provided, if applicable:

the date on which the student enters a Supervised Alternative Learning for Excused Pupils (SALEP) program (Regulation 308), as well as the SALEP committee report, which is to be inserted in the OSR documentation file (see section 3.4)

3.2 Report cards

3.2.1 The provincial report card, Grades 1–8

3.2.1.1 Use and completion

All school boards will use the provincial report card, Grades 1–8, in all their elementary schools at least three times a year.

A completed provincial report card, Grades 1–8 (all three pages), or an exact copy of it, will be filed in the OSR folder for each student who has been enrolled in the school for more than six weeks from the commencement of the reporting period:

at the time of his or her transfer to another school, or
at the time of his or her retirement from school, or
at the end of each of three reporting periods, the first to occur during the fall

The provincial report card, Grades 1–8, or an exact copy of it, will be forwarded to the parent(s) of a student who is not an adult or to the student if he or she is an adult.

3.2.1.2 Content

See the guide to the provincial report card, Grades 1–8 for available versions and information about the content.

3.2.1.3 Quality of paper

The paper used to produce the report card must be suitable for long-term storage.

3.2.1.4 Electronic format

School boards may use an electronic format of the provincial report card, Grades 1–8, to facilitate completion and use. However, a completed provincial report card, Grades 1–8, or an exact copy of the report card, must be filed in the OSR as a hard copy.

3.2.2 The provincial report card, Grades 9–12

3.2.2.1 Use and completion

Beginning with the 1999–2000 school year, boards will use the provincial report card, Grades 9–12, for students in Grade 9 in all their secondary schools. Boards will use the provincial report card, Grades 9–12, for students in Grades 9 and 10 in the 2000–2001 school year; for students in Grades 9, 10, and 11 in the 2001–2 school year, and for students in Grades 9 to 12 in the 2002–3 school year and thereafter.

A completed provincial report card, Grades 9–12 (all three pages), or an exact copy of it, will be filed in the OSR folder for each student who has been enrolled in the school for more than six weeks from the commencement of the reporting period:

at the time of his or her transfer to another school, or
at the time of his or her retirement from school, or
two times in each semester for semestered schools, the first to occur during the fall, or
at the end of each of three reporting periods, the first to occur during the fall, for non-semestered schools

The provincial report card, Grades 9–12, or an exact copy of it, will be forwarded to the parent(s) of a student who is not an adult or to the student if he or she is an adult.

3.2.2.2 Content

See the guide to the provincial report card, Grades 9–12 for available versions and information about the content.

3.2.2.3 Quality of paper

See section 3.2.1.3.

3.2.2.4 Electronic format

School boards may use an electronic format of the provincial report card, Grades 9–12, to facilitate completion and use. However, a completed provincial report card, Grades 9–12, or an exact copy of the report card, must be filed in the OSR as a hard copy.

3.2.3 Board report cards

3.2.3.1 Use and completion

Boards may develop and use their own report cards for students in junior kindergarten and kindergarten. They will use their own report cards for students in Grades 10, 11, and 12 until required to use the provincial report card, Grades 9–12, as indicated in section 3.2.2.1. In addition, they may use their own report cards for students with an Individual Education Plan (IEP), as indicated in the guide to the provincial report card, Grades 1–8 and the guide to the provincial report card, Grades 9–12 under “IEP”.

Boards that have more reporting periods than those stipulated in section 3.2.1.1 and section 3.2.2.1 may use board-developed reports at such times.

A report card will be completed and filed in the OSR folder for each student who has been enrolled in the school for more than six weeks from the commencement of the reporting period:

at the time of his or her transfer to another school, or
at the time of his or her retirement from school, or
at the end of the school year, or
at the end of each semester, if the school is organized on a semester plan, or
at such other times that the board may stipulate

The report card or an exact copy of it will be forwarded to the parent(s) of a student who is not an adult or to the student if he or she is an adult.

3.2.3.2 Content

For those grades where there is no provincial report card, and under the conditions indicated in section 3.2.3.1, a school board will approve, for use in its schools, report cards that will include the following:

the full name of the student, as recorded on the OSR folder
the name and address of the school and any other particulars that may be required to identify the school
the name of the principal
the signature of the teacher
the signature of the principal
the record of attendance of the student at school
the date the report card is issued
for all courses taken, the student's level of achievement (indicated by an anecdotal description, a percentage grade, or a letter grade) or a statement that there has been insufficient time to assess the achievement of the student
the grade in which the student is placed or to which he or she is promoted
for each secondary school course, the title and common course code of the course
for each secondary school course taken for credit, the value of the credit(s) assigned to the course (expressed as a whole number or a number with up to two decimal places), or for a course for which a credit is not given, the words “non-credit course
space for comment by the parent(s) of a student who is not an adult or the student if he or she is an adult
the following statement to parents and students: To Parents and Students This copy of the report card should be retained for reference. The original or an exact copy has been placed in the student's Ontario Student Record (OSR) folder and will be retained for five (5) years after the student leaves school

3.2.3.3 Quality of paper

See section 3.2.1.3.

3.3 The Ontario Student Transcript (OST)

The requirements for the OST are outlined in the Ontario Student Transcript (OST): manual, 1999. Beginning with the 1999–2000 school year, the OST will be a cumulative and continuous record of a student's successful completion of Grade 9 and 10 courses, successful and unsuccessful attempts at completing Grade 11 and 12 courses and Ontario Academic Courses (OAC), and completion of other diploma requirements. The OST is part of the OSR. When it is maintained as a hard copy, it should be filed in the OSR folder. When it is maintained electronically, a hard copy must be produced and maintained in accordance with the Ontario Student Transcript (OST): manual, 1999. For a sample of the OST form, see appendix C to this guideline.

3.4 The documentation file

When a documentation file is required, it will be kept in the OSR folder. A documentation file will be established when the following information is required:

verification of a custody order
verification of a change of surname (see section 10)
a written request to be named by repute (see section 10.1)
the statement of decision of an Identification, Placement, and Review Committee (IPRC), the recommendation of an appeal board and the decision of the school board regarding identification and/or placement, where applicable, and a tribunal's decision regarding identification and/or placement, where applicable
an Individual Education Plan (IEP) for a student receiving special education programs and services
educational, psychological, and health assessments
an Intensive Support Amount (ISA) status form
the report of a Supervised Alternative Learning for Excused Pupils (SALEP) committee
letters of request for a correction to, or a deletion from, the record where the request has not been granted (see section 9)
other reports and/or information identified in accordance with the policies established by the school board (see section 2)
a Violent Incident Form (see appendix J)

A sample documentation file folder is provided in appendix D.

When a report is requested from a professional, paraprofessional, or other relevant person, that person should be advised that the report will be filed in the OSR and will be subject to the access provisions governing the OSR.

As with other material included in an OSR, these reports should only be included if, in the principal's opinion, they are conducive to the improvement of the instruction of the student.

See the ministry's publication violence-free schools policy, 1994, part two, section V, “Record Keeping of Violent Incidents Leading to Suspension/Expulsion and Reports to the Police”, pp. 39-40, for details on the keeping of records on violent incidents

3.5 The office index card

The office index card provides the school with immediate access to information about a student. It will remain at the school during the period in which the student is enrolled at the school. The card is not filed in the OSR folder and is not transferred with the OSR when the student transfers from the school. A sample office index card is provided in appendix E.

The office index card will record the following information:

the full name of the student, as recorded on the OSR folder
the number assigned to the student by the school or school board, where applicable
a Ministry Identification Number (MIN) or Ontario Education Number (OEN) assigned by the ministry, where applicable
the gender of the student
the student's date of birth (year, month, day)
the name(s) of the student's parent(s)
if applicable, the name(s) of the individual(s) who has (have) custody of the student
the student's current address and home telephone number, as well as an emergency number if one has been provided
the dates (year, month, day) on which the student enrolls in the school, transfers from the school, and/or retires from school
the name and address of the school to which the student transfers and the date on which the OSR is transferred
the student's address on the date of transfer or retirement
the name and address or some other means of identification of the school from which the student is transferring or retiring
other information that is identified in accordance with the policies established by the school board (see section 2)

When a student transfers to another school, or to a private, federal, or First Nation school, or retires from school, the office index card will be stored at the sending school or at a central record office provided by the board.

3.6 Student record of accumulated instruction in French as a Second Language in elementary school

An individual record of accumulated instruction in French as a second language will be established and maintained for each student enrolled in an elementary school. The record will be kept on a card that is identical to the one in appendix F, and will include all of the information required for each entry. An entry will be made on the record:

at the end of a school year, semester, or summer course, and
when a student transfers to another school, including a private, federal, or First Nation school, and
when a student retires from school

If a student has had previous instruction in French but no record is available, the entries on the card must be started at least from the date of enrolment in an Ontario school. A note will be made on the first lines of the instruction card indicating what is known about a student's previous instruction in French as a second language and in other subjects taught in French. If the number of accumulated hours must be estimated, an annotation must indicate that the figure is approximate.

3.7 Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) challenge for credit: cumulative tracking record

If a secondary school student challenges for credit for a Grade 10, 11, or 12 course through the Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) challenge process, a record of all credits earned and attempted will be established and will be maintained in the student's OSR. This record will be kept on the form entitled “PLAR challenge for credit: cumulative tracking record” (see appendix K). The student's passing percentage grade, failing percentage grade, or withdrawal from the challenge process must be entered on this form. (If it is necessary to use more than one “Cumulative Tracking Record” form to record a student's attempts to challenge for credit, the additional form(s) should be attached to the original form.)

As stated in policy/program memorandum No. 129, “Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR): Implementation in Ontario Secondary Schools”, issued July 6, 2001, there are two possible tracking forms – the “Cumulative Tracking Record” and the “Interim Tracking Record”. Only the "Cumulative Tracking Record" form will be maintained in the student's OSR. If a student earns a credit through the challenge process in a school outside his or her regular school (the regular school is the school that maintains the student's OSR), the principal of the school outside the student's regular school will use the “Interim Tracking Record” form (provided in the memorandum) to communicate the results of the student's challenges for credit to the school that maintains the OSR. The principal of the student's regular school will enter the information onto the “Cumulative Tracking Record” form in the student's OSR.

4. Access to the OSR

Access to an OSR means the right of those persons authorized by the Education Act or other legislation to examine the contents of the OSR. In addition, municipal and provincial freedom of information legislation permits persons who have the right to have access to personal information to receive copies of the information. This provision applies during both the period of use of the OSR and the period of retention and storage.

Both the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, which applies to schools operated by school boards, and the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, which applies to Provincial and Demonstration Schools, prohibit institutions from releasing personal information in their custody or under their control to anyone other than the person to whom the information relates, except in certain circumstances. These circumstances are defined in the legislation, and it is up to the head of an institution to decide whether or not to grant access to personal information in such circumstances. School boards should therefore consult with their freedom of information coordinators to determine whether they should develop policies on access to OSRs. Any such policies must be developed in accordance with the legislation.

Boards should develop their own consent forms, which they must use where the consent of the parent(s) or adult student is required for the release of information from the OSR. It is not acceptable to use Form 14 for this purpose; Form 14 should only be used for the release of clinical records under the Mental Health Act.

4.1 Students

Every student has the right to have access to his or her OSR.

4.2 Parents

The parents of a student have the right to have access to the student's OSR, until the student becomes an adult (age eighteen). Under both the Children's Law Reform Act and the Divorce Act, 1985, the legal right of a non-custodial parent to have access to a child includes the right to make inquiries and to be given information concerning the child's health, education, and welfare.

4.3 Educational personnel

Under the Education Act, only supervisory officers and the principal and teachers of the school have access to the OSR for the purpose of improving the instruction of the student. As noted above, additional access may be permitted under municipal and provincial freedom of information legislation, under specified and limited circumstances.

4.4 Ministry and school boards

The Education Act permits the compiling and delivery of information contained in an OSR if it is required by the Minister of Education or the school board. In instances where ministry staff members are seeking to collect information from OSRs, students who are adults and parents of students who are not adults will be notified.

4.5 Courts and law enforcement agencies

Subsection 266(2) of the Education Act states that the OSR will not be produced in the course of any legal proceedings. There may be occasions, however, when access to the OSR of current students or former students will be sought. In such cases, boards should obtain legal advice from their lawyers in order to deal with such issues as the following:

whether the Education Act in fact prevents the production of the OSR
whether the OSR in question is relevant to the proceedings
if the OSR is relevant to the proceedings, whether a copy, rather than the original, may be submitted to the court

All of these issues are relevant in both civil and criminal cases (see section 4.5.1 and section 4.5.2)

Both the municipal and provincial freedom of information acts permit disclosure of personal information for the purposes of law enforcement. The conditions for disclosure and the definition of “law enforcement” are contained in the legislation. School boards should consult with their freedom of information coordinators and their legal counsel to determine whether they should develop policies on the disclosure of personal information in an OSR to courts and law enforcement agencies.

In court proceedings, subject to an appeal, the judge's order must be followed. If a principal receives a court order requiring the release of an OSR, the principal should contact the board's legal counsel. Although court orders must be followed, the principal should obtain legal advice about the issues listed above.

4.5.1 Civil suits

A principal may be served with a subpoena requiring that he or she appear in court on a particular date and bring part or all of an OSR. If a principal receives a subpoena, he or she must comply with it, but should obtain legal advice from the board's legal counsel about the issues in section 4.5 above.

As a general rule, the principal should go to court with both the original OSR and a complete and exact photocopy of it, and should propose to the judge that the photocopy be submitted instead of the original. The principal should also inform the judge that the subpoena is inconsistent with subsection 266(2) of the Education Act. The principal must, however, relinquish the documents if ordered to do so by the judge.

4.5.2 Cases involving the Criminal Code

The Criminal Code is federal legislation, where there is a conflict between it and provincial legislation, it takes precedence. Therefore, if a principal is served with a search warrant under the Criminal Code requiring the surrender of an OSR to the police, or is served with a subpoena requiring his or her appearance at court with the OSR, he or she is obliged to comply with the search warrant or the subpoena. In both cases, the principal should obtain legal advice from the board's legal counsel about any relevant issues, including those in section 4.5. The principal should also inform the relevant authority (i.e., the police or the judge) that the use of any part(s) of the OSR as evidence in court proceedings is inconsistent with subsection 266(2) of the Education Act. The principal should present the police or the judge with both the original OSR and a complete and exact photocopy of it,and should propose that the photocopy be submitted instead of the original.

4.5.3 Provisions under the Child, Youth and Family Services Act

Under the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017, S.O. 2017, c. 14, it is possible for a court to order a principal of a school to produce a student's OSR for inspection and copying. A court may make such an order if it is satisfied that (a) a record contains information that may be relevant to a consideration of whether a child is suffering abuse or likely to suffer abuse, and (b) the person in control of the record has refused to permit a Children's Aid Society director to inspect it. If a principal receives a court order under the Child, Youth and Family Services Act. 1, he or she should seek legal advice about how to comply with it.

5. Use and maintenance of the OSR

Information from an OSR may be used to assist in the preparation of a report required under the Education Act or the regulations made under it. Information from an OSR may also be used in the preparation of a report for an application for further education or an application for employment, if a written request for such a report is made by an adult student, a former student, or the parent(s) of a student.

The freedom of information legislation sets out criteria for the use of personal information. The purposes for which personal information in a student's OSR is being used must be consistent with the policies in this guideline and with school board policies. Students who are adults and parents of students who are not adults should be informed of the uses of personal information at the time that that information is collected for inclusion in an OSR.

The contents of the OSR should be reviewed on a regular basis according to the policies established by the school board to ensure that they remain conducive to the improvement of the instruction of the student. Any such review must comply with the provisions of section 9 of this guideline.

6. Transfer of the OSR

The transfer of the OSR means the transfer of all parts of the OSR other than the office index card (see section 3.5 for information on the index card). Subject to the conditions outlined below, the original OSR is transferable only to schools in Ontario.

When a student transfers to another school in Ontario, the receiving school must be sent written notification of the student's transfer (see form in appendix G) indicating that the student's OSR will be sent upon receipt of an official written request (see form in appendix H or I). When a student transfers to another school outside Ontario, only a copy of the student's OSR may be sent upon receipt of an official written request from the receiving school. See sections 6.1 to 6.3.

If the original OSR is being transferred between schools operated by the same school board, it may be transferred by a delivery service provided by the board.

If the original OSR is being transferred to a school in another board, to a private, federal, or First Nation school, or to a Provincial or Demonstration School, it must be transferred by Priority Post or an equivalent delivery method that is approved by the board and that maintains confidentiality and guarantees prompt delivery.

If some or all of the information in the OSR has been microrecorded or stored electronically and if the receiving school is capable of receiving this information in microrecorded form or electronically in such a way that the OSR can be effectively reproduced or viewed, the information may be transmitted to the receiving school either as a microrecording or by electronic transmission in advance of the paper parts of the OSR.

If a school is transmitting OSR information electronically or by means of facsimile, arrangements must be made to ensure the secure and confidential transfer of the information.

6.1 Transfer to a school in another board, to a Provincial or Demonstration School, or to a specified federal or First Nation School in Ontario

Before a principal transfers an original OSR to a school operated by another school board in Ontario, to a Provincial or Demonstration School in Ontario, or to a federal or First Nation school in Ontario as specified below, the principal must receive a written request for the information from the principal of the receiving school. A sample form for indicating this official request for information is provided in appendix H.

This provision applies to federal and First Nation schools in Ontario that:

have chosen to establish and maintain OSRs for their students, and
are prescribed under section 3 of Ontario Regulation 261/19, “Reciprocal Education Approach” (see our list of eligible schools), or that have an existing reverse education services agreement with the board that was entered into prior to September 1, 2019

If this information has not been provided or cannot be confirmed on the website given above, the principal (or the board) should ask the federal or First Nation school whether it meets the above criteria.

6.2 Transfer to a private school or to a First Nation School in Ontario not specified in section 6.1

Before a principal transfers an original OSR to an inspected private school, a non-inspected private school, or a First Nation school in Ontario that is not specified in section 6.1 of this guideline, the principal must have received:

a written request for the information from the receiving school, in which the school agrees to accept responsibility for the OSR and to maintain, retain, transfer, and dispose of the OSR in accordance with this guideline (see appendix I), and
a written statement indicating consent to the transfer, which is signed by the parent(s) of the student if he or she is not an adult, or by the student if he or she is an adult

6.3 Transfer to an educational institution outside Ontario

An original OSR may not be transferred outside Ontario. Only an exact copy of the OSR may be sent to the principal of an educational institution outside Ontario after the principal who is responsible for the OSR has received:

a written request for the information from the principal of the educational institution outside Ontario, and
a written statement indicating consent to the transfer, which is signed by the parent(s) of the student if he or she is not an adult, or by the student if he or she is an adult

7. Retirement of a student

A student retires from school when he or she ceases to be enrolled in school. A student is not considered to have retired if he or she (a) withdraws for a temporary period with the written consent of the principal, or (b) transfers to another school in Ontario.

When a student retires from the school that maintained an OSR for the student, the principal will give the following to the parent(s) of the student if he or she is not an adult, or to the student if he or she is an adult:

an up-to-date copy of the student's OST, if applicable
the information and materials stored in the OSR folder that are not required to be retained under the retention schedule provided in section 8

8. Retention, storage and destruction of information in the OSR

Regulations under freedom of information legislation require that personal information that has been used by an institution be retained by the institution for at least one year after use, unless the individual to whom the information relates consents in writing to its earlier disposal. Therefore, any personal information placed in an OSR should be retained by the school for at least one year after use, unless the principal receives written consent to its earlier disposal.

The following components of the OSR will be retained for five years after a student retires from school:

report cards
the documentation file, where applicable
additional information that is identified by the school board as appropriate for retention

The following components of the OSR will be retained for fifty-five years after a student retires from school:

the OSR folder
the OST
the office index card

The destruction of all or any part of the OSR when its retention is no longer required under this guideline will be effected under conditions that ensure the complete and confidential disposal of the record.

9. Correction of removal of information in the OSR

If certain information or material in an OSR folder is determined, according to the board's policies, to be no longer conducive to the improvement of the instruction of the student, the principal will have the information or material removed from the OSR folder. Such information will be given to the parent(s) of a student who is not an adult or to the student if the student is an adult, or it will be destroyed (see section 8).

If the parent(s) or adult student is (are) of the opinion that the information contained in the student's OSR is inaccurately recorded or that it is not conducive to the improvement of the instruction of the student, the parent(s) or adult student may request in writing that the principal correct the alleged inaccuracy or remove the information from the record. If the principal complies with the request, the material will be corrected or will be removed from the file and destroyed or returned to the parent(s) or the adult student, and no record of the request will be retained in the OSR.

If the principal refuses to comply with the request, the parent(s) or the adult student may request in writing that the principal refer the request to the appropriate supervisory officer. The supervisory officer will either (a) require that the principal comply with the request, or (b) submit the OSR and the request to a person designated by the Minister of Education. If the supervisory officer requires that the principal comply with the request, no record of the request will be retained in the OSR. If the supervisory officer submits the request to a person designated by the Minister, that person will hold a hearing, which the principal and the person(s) who made the request will attend. After the hearing, the person designated by the Minister will make a decision on the matter. This decision will be final and binding. If the person designated by the Minister requires that the principal comply with the request, no record of the request will be retained in the OSR. If the person designated by the Minister denies the request, the original request, including the date on which it was made, and the statement of this final decision will be retained in the documentation file.

Freedom of information legislation also permits persons to request that recorded personal information be corrected.

Every principal will ensure that no OSR discloses (a) the contravention or alleged contravention by a student of any statute or regulation to which the Young Offenders Act or Part V- A of the Provincial Offences Act applies, or (b) the disposition of any proceedings brought under those statutes or regulations. If an entry in an OSR does disclose such information, the principal of the school in which the student is enrolled will ensure that the entry is altered appropriately or deleted from the OSR.

10. Change of surname

10.1 Change by repute

When a principal receives a written request from an adult student or the parent(s) of a student who is not an adult that the student be identified by a surname other than the legal surname of the student and when (a) the student is known by a surname other than his or her legal surname, (b) the surname is a name obtained by repute, and (c) the use of the surname is in the student's best interests, the principal will record the requested surname in Part A of the OSR folder in addition to the legal surname of the student, and the requested surname will be used henceforth. In this case, the legal surname will be enclosed in brackets. The written request will be stored in the documentation file (see section 3.4).

10.2 Change by marriage

When a principal receives a document that establishes that a student for whom the principal maintains an OSR has had his or her surname changed by marriage, the principal will file the document, a copy of the document, or a verification of his or her knowledge of the document in the documentation file, and will change the surname of the student on all current and future components of the OSR.

10.3 Change by law

When a principal receives a document that establishes that a student for whom the principal maintains an OSR has had his or her surname changed in accordance with the law of the province, state, or country in which the document was made, the principal will file the document, a copy of the document, or a verification of his or her knowledge of the document in the documentation file, and, on request, will change the surname of the student on all components of the OSR so that the record will appear as if originally established in the new surname.

11. Continuing education records

For each student enrolled in a school board continuing education course or program for the purpose of achieving an Ontario secondary school credit or credits, the principal of the continuing education course or program will establish an office index card, which will contain the following information:

the full name of the student
the number assigned to the student by the school or school board, where applicable
a Ministry Identification Number (MIN) or Ontario Education Number (OEN) assigned by the ministry, where applicable
the gender of the student
the student's date of birth (year, month, day) and the source used to verify the date
if applicable, the name(s) of the individual(s) who has (have) custody of the student and for whom verification of the custody order is included in the documentation file
the student's current address and home telephone number, as well as an emergency number if one has been provided
the dates (year, month, day) on which the student enrols in the program, transfers from the program, and/or retires from the program
the name and address of the school to which the student transfers and the date
the student's address on the date of transfer or retirement
the name and address or some other means of identification of the continuing education program from which the student is transferring or retiring
other information that is identified in accordance with the policies established by the school board (see section 2)

The OST will be maintained by the principal of the continuing education program. If, however, the student is also enrolled in a day school program, the principal of the continuing education program will forward information on credits earned to the principal of the day school program for inclusion in the student's OST.