Education Staff Offboarding Checklist

Set the interview window for the staff member's final two weeks. Capture the separation type now — voluntary resignations, retirements, and non-renewals follow different downstream paths than involuntary terminations, which require same-day access removal and a building-security coordination step.

Classroom teachers prepare gradebook handoff notes, current unit plans, and seating charts for the long-term sub or replacement. SPED case managers prepare a caseload roster with IEP review dates, related-services schedules, and any pending evaluations. Counselors flag active 504 reviews and any open student-safety cases.

Signed resignation letter, separation acknowledgment, and any non-renewal documentation go into the personnel file. For certificated staff, confirm whether the state ed-board requires notification of separation mid-contract — some states have statutory deadlines that affect license standing.

COBRA election notice must be sent within 14 days of the qualifying event for groups subject to federal COBRA; state mini-COBRA may apply for smaller districts. Provide the state unemployment-insurance separation packet regardless of separation type — eligibility is determined by the state, not the district.

Disable Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 sign-in at end of the last working day. Set up an auto-reply with the building secretary's contact for the next 60 days. Do not delete the mailbox yet — student-record emails may need to be retained per FERPA and state records-retention schedules.

Remove the staff account from PowerSchool, Infinite Campus, Skyward, or Aeries depending on what the district runs. Don't delete — set to inactive so historical attendance, grade entries, and discipline referrals retain the original author. FERPA audit trails depend on this.

In Canvas, Schoology, or Google Classroom, transfer course ownership to the long-term sub or successor before disabling the account. If you remove the teacher first, assignments and student submissions can become orphaned and unrecoverable. Confirm grade history exports are saved to the SIS as the system of record.

Set termination effective per the plan document — usually end of month of separation for districts on the standard schedule. Update the carrier roster the same day to avoid claims being paid post-termination, which the district has to recoup. Note any FSA balance that becomes non-reimbursable after the run-out period.

State teacher-retirement systems (TRS, PERS, CalSTRS, etc.) require a separation form and final-salary reporting before the member can elect refund, rollover, or service-retirement benefits. Late filings delay the member's first benefit payment by a full month in most states.

Export the current gradebook to the SIS as the official record before the LMS account is disabled. Walk the receiving teacher through assignment categories, weighting, and any in-progress assignments so end-of-quarter grades calculate correctly. Missing this step is the most common cause of grade-correction tickets after a mid-year departure.

In Frontline IEP, SEAS, or whichever IEP system the district runs, reassign each student's case-manager-of-record. Walk the incoming case manager through the next 60 days of annual reviews, triennial re-evals, and any open evaluations under IDEA's 60-day timeline. Missing a triennial during a staff transition is a routine source of compensatory-education claims.

Recover the district-issued Chromebook or laptop, classroom and building keys, ID badge, parking permit, P-card, and any checked-out library or media-center items. Photograph the returned items and the asset-tag stickers; missing equipment after separation is hard to chase down once the staff member is no longer reachable through district channels.

File the resignation letter, exit-interview notes, final evaluation, COBRA acknowledgment, and property-return receipt. Mark the file's retention class — separated-employee personnel files are typically retained 7 years past separation, longer for certificated staff in some states.