After an investigation determination that the allegation is not substantiated/sustained, what happens to any non-contact assignment in the staff member's personnel file?

After an investigation determination that the allegation is not substantiated/sustained, what happens to any non-contact assignment in the staff member's personnel file?

• A. It shall be expunged from the staff member's personnel file.
• B. It shall be retained in the file for five years.
• C. It shall be forwarded to the licensing body for review.
• D. It shall be flagged as unresolved and kept indefinitely.

Answer: (A)

When an investigation concludes that the allegation is not substantiated or sustained, the non-contact assignment tied to that investigation should be removed from the staff member’s personnel file. This reflects that there was no finding of misconduct, so there’s no ongoing basis for restricting or stigmatizing the employee. Expunging means the record is erased from the file, restoring the employee’s record to reflect that no formal action resulted from that allegation. Keeping the item or escalating it would imply a finding of wrongdoing, which isn’t supported by a not-substantiated or not-sustained outcome, and marking it as unresolved indefinitely would unnecessarily haunt the staff member.

When an investigation concludes that the allegation is not substantiated or sustained, the non-contact assignment tied to that investigation should be removed from the staff member’s personnel file. This reflects that there was no finding of misconduct, so there’s no ongoing basis for restricting or stigmatizing the employee. Expunging means the record is erased from the file, restoring the employee’s record to reflect that no formal action resulted from that allegation. Keeping the item or escalating it would imply a finding of wrongdoing, which isn’t supported by a not-substantiated or not-sustained outcome, and marking it as unresolved indefinitely would unnecessarily haunt the staff member.