Use of Electronic Signatures

9242 USE OF ELECTRONIC SIGNATURES

The New Jersey Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA) authorizes a Board of Education to use electronic forms, filings, and signatures to conduct official business with the public.  The use of electronic forms, filings, and signatures may save school district resources and will provide a convenient and cost-efficient option for parents to receive, review, and acknowledge receipt of information from the school district.  Therefore, the Board of Education authorizes the use of electronic forms, filings, and signatures in communications between the school district and parents pursuant to the UETA.

For the purposes of this Policy, “electronic” means relating to technology having electrical, digital, magnetic, wireless, optical, electromagnetic, or similar capabilities.

For the purposes of this Policy, “electronic record” means a record created, generated, sent, communicated, received, or stored by electronic means.   

For the purposes of this Policy, “electronic signature” means an electronic sound, symbol, or process attached to or logically associated with a record and executed or adopted by a person with the intent to sign the record.  

For the purposes of this Policy, “information processing system” means an electronic system for creating, generating, sending, receiving, storing, displaying, or processing information. 

The school district may electronically send documents to parents of students enrolled in the school district.  These documents may include, but are not limited to:  informational notices; school or school related events or activities; periodic updates on a student’s progress; school district forms; requests for information; and any other communications between the school district and home.  Some documents electronically sent to parents may require the parent to:  acknowledge receipt of a document; provide parental consent for such matters as student compliance with the district’s acceptable use of school district computers and administration of surveys; and/or acknowledge receipt and acceptance of terms of a Board of Education policy, regulation, or practice.  Any document sent to parents of students enrolled in the school district must be capable of retention by the recipient.  To be capable of retention, the recipient at the time of receipt, must be able to retain and accurately reproduce the document for later reference by all persons who are entitled to retain the record.  A record is not capable of retention by the recipient if the sender of its information processing system inhibits the ability of the recipient to print or store the electronic record.    

The Board of Education authorizes documents may be electronically sent to parents of students enrolled in the school district only with the approval of the Superintendent of Schools.  The Superintendent shall establish an information processing system to include a process for parents to electronically send, sign, and return documents to the school district.  The school district shall make accommodations for a parent who is unable or unwilling to conduct business electronically.  In addition, a parent may refuse to conduct business electronically for any reason and at any time.  In this event, the school district shall make available a hard copy of the document(s) to the parent to review, maintain, and any document(s) requiring signatures to be returned to the district.  The Superintendent will only implement an information processing system in accordance with the provisions of the UETA.

Documents that are electronically signed and returned to the school district may be maintained by the school district in electronic or non-electronic form.  Documents returned to the district that are not electronically signed shall be maintained by the district in non-electronic form.  However, nothing shall prevent the school district from converting a non-electronic document to an electronic document and for such document to be stored in electronic form.  All electronic or non-electronic documents returned to the school district shall be maintained by the school district in accordance with the New Jersey Department of the Treasury - Records Management Services - Records Retention Schedules and in accordance with N.J.S.A. 12A:12-12.

N.J.S.A. 12A:12-1 et seq. 

Adopted:

30 May 2019