The Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) Office of the Ombudsman operates in accordance with the International Ombuds1 Association (IOA) Code of Ethics and adheres to the following principles:
The Ombudsman’s office seeks to empower those who contact the office to resolve issues on their own if possible. Depending on the situation, the Ombudsman’s office may utilize different methods/techniques to help the visitor2. Some of the common methods/techniques used include:
While the Ombudsman’s office can assist most individuals, there are some actions the Ombudsman cannot take, such as:
To learn about the PWCS Office of the Ombudsman and how the office can support you, please visit our website. Visitors are seen by appointment either in-person, virtually, or over the phone. Please contact the office in one of the following ways to schedule an appointment:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 703-791-8587
The Ombudsman’s office is located at:
Independent Hill Complex
14800 Joplin Rd., T 50-01
Manassas, VA 20112
The Ombudsman’s office staff is composed of Ombudsman, Monique “Mo” Bookstein and Ombuds Specialist, Rosamaria Manzines.
The Office of the Ombudsman continues to provide parents, students, employees, and members of the school community with assistance in resolving school-related concerns, conflicts, and issues. A single “case” is defined by the individual who is experiencing the conflict.
| Quarter | Visitors |
|---|---|
| Quarter 1 | 49 |
| Quarter 2 | 53 |
| Quarter 3 | 105 |
| Quarter 4 | 91 |
| Total | 298 |
| Type of Visitor | Number of Visitors | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Employees - Individual who is employed by PWCS | 73 | 80% |
| Parents/Guardians - Individuals with a student who attends a PWCS | 16 | 18% |
| Community - Individuals with concerns regarding PWCS | 2 | 2% |
| Total | 91 | 100% |
| Type of Visitor | Number of Visitors |
|---|---|
| Certified | 42 |
| Administrator | 27 |
| Classified | 4 |
Below are the IOA Uniform Reporting Categories. This is a list of categories developed by the IOA and used by Ombudsmen around the world to anonymously classify the types of issues brought to their offices and identify trends in requests for services. For a more detailed explanation of these categories, see the Ombudsman’s website.
Visitors often express concerns related to more than one category. Within each category there are numerous subcategories. For a more detailed explanation of this data, see the Ombudsman’s website.
| Specific Issue Category | Total Q1 | Total Q2 | Total Q3 | Total Q4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Compensation & Benefits | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 |
| 2. Evaluative Relationships | 91 | 109 | 244 | 260 |
| 3. Peer and Colleague Relationships | 38 | 21 | 31 | 12 |
| 4. Career Progression and Development | 16 | 5 | 10 | 11 |
| 5. Legal, Regulatory, Financial, and Compliance | 4 | 7 | 8 | 10 |
| 6. Safety, Health, and Physical Environment | 15 | 21 | 10 | 16 |
| 7. Services/Administrative Issues | 45 | 42 | 60 | 57 |
| 8. Organizational, Strategic, and Mission | 37 | 40 | 63 | 49 |
| 9. Values, Ethics, and Standards | 0 | 20 | 4 | 5 |
| Specific Issue Category | Employee Concerns | Parent/Guardian Concerns | Community Concerns |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Compensation & Benefits | 1% | 0% | 0% |
| 2. Evaluative Relationships | 68% | 0% | 0% |
| 3. Peer and Colleague Relationships | 3% | 0% | 0% |
| 4. Career Progression and Development | 3% | 0% | 0% |
| 5. Legal, Regulatory, Financial, and Compliance | 2% | 0% | 0% |
| 6. Safety, Health, and Physical Environment | 4% | 0% | 0% |
| 7. Services/Administrative Issues | 5% | 94% | 67% |
| 8. Organizational, Strategic, and Mission | 13% | 0% | 33% |
| 9. Values, Ethics, and Standards | 1% | 6% | 0% |
1 The term “Ombuds” includes all applicable nomenclature in use for an organizational ombudsperson.
2 The term “visitor” describes those who engage the services of the Ombudsman.