Wolf creek public schools goes digital to improve information management and transform the entire student experience

CHALLENGE

Wolf Creek Public Schools wanted to improve access to student information and free staff from hunting down paper files. That digital vision was accelerated when the Government of Alberta mandated an extranet for storing electronic records.

SOLUTION

Providing full chain of custody, the Iron Mountain® service combines off-site records management with on-demand digital imaging. Once scanned and uploaded, Iron Mountain specialists prepare original documents for secure destruction.

RESULTS

Students enjoy a better onboarding experience. Their digital record follows them as they progress and can be accessed in a few clicks. Teachers spend more time teaching, while schools benefit from greater efficiency and space savings.

FINDING THE WAY TO FILL A MARKET GAP

Daily administration challenges

Serving some 7,300 students from kindergarten to Grade 12, Wolf Creek Public Schools (WCPS) employs 412 teachers and 350 support staff in 30 schools. Along with high support levels for diverse learners it remains committed to ensuring all education settings are safe, welcoming and caring.

Efficient management of student records plays a big part not just in academic success, but also timely emotional support. It was an area that WCPS was looking to improve and turn into a major strength. “There was a growing appetite to migrate to digital records to minimize the possibility of student records being damaged or in an alternate location being reviewed,” explains Software Co-ordinator, Kaila Clark.

Difficulty exchanging records between schools

That digital vision was accelerated when the Government of Alberta mandated all schools to adopt the PASI knowledge base, a newly created extranet for securely storing student electronic records. Prior to this, paper files used to be retrieved, logged, and shipped between schools. This lengthy process racked up expense and could take up to eight weeks.

“Joining a new school can be a daunting experience, even more so if behavioural, health and other key data is missing,” adds Clark. “One of the main aims of PASI is to ease the transfer of student information. So, new teachers could understand individual learning needs and develop education plans a lot sooner, ensuring grades and a more successful learning experience.”

SWITCHING TO SAFE, EFFICIENT DIGITAL WORKFLOWS

“What came across strongly was the importance Iron Mountain attaches to security and data privacy. For example, providing full chain of custody, government-cleared employees and transparent audit trails.”

Kaila Clark, Software Co-ordinator, Wolf Creek Public Schools

STUDENT DATA PROTECTED AT EVERY POINT

Full chain of custody With the deadline to get aboard PASI fast approaching, an opportune event helped crystallize thinking. “Iron Mountain presented a simple, user-friendly approach to digital workflows,” Clark recalls. “What came across strongly was the importance Iron Mountain attaches to security and data privacy. For example, providing full chain of custody, government-cleared employees, and transparent audit trails.” The COVID-19 crisis threatened to derail the project. “Although our schools weren’t disrupted that much, Iron Mountain brought in extra resources to help fast-track student records processing and scanning,” says Clark. Effective lifecycle management Designed, tested and live within 12 weeks, the Iron Mountain® solution blends off-site records management with on-demand digital scanning. In total, 4,550 student paper files comprising 47 document types were collected, indexed and made available as PDFs on the PASI extranet. This included 385,070 individual digital images.

Once scanned and safely uploaded to PASI, Iron Mountain specialists prepare the original physical documents for secure destruction. “Information lifecycle management and keeping on top of old student records is something else we don’t have to worry about,” says Clark.