Prince William County Public Schools

Quarterly Report: October 1, 2023 - December 31, 2023

October 1, 2023 - December 31, 2023 (PDF)

Office Overview

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:

Confidentiality  ~  Impartiality  ~  Independence  ~  Informality

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:

• Listens and helps clarify visitor concerns
• Provides information and explores available options
• Identifies underlying issues and interests
• Facilitates discussions to resolve issues

While the Ombudsman’s office can assist most individuals, there are some actions the Ombudsman CANNOT take, such as:

• Act as an individual’s advocate
• Serve as a formal office of legal notice for PWCS
• Conduct formal investigations
• Maintain records

To learn about the PWCS Office of the Ombudsman and how the office can support you, please visit our website. Due to the confidential nature of the office, visitors are seen by appointment either in-person, virtually, or over the phone. To schedule an appointment directly, please use our online booking system. For any questions/concerns, you can contact us in the following ways:

Email: [email protected] 
Phone: 703-791-8587

The Ombudsman’s office staff is composed of Ombudsman, Monique “Mo” Bookstein and Ombuds Specialist, Rosamaria Manzines.

Data Review

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.

Total Visitors Year to Date
Quarter 1	66
Quarter 2	64
Quarter 3	0
Quarter 4	0
TOTAL	130

 

Visitor Demographics	Number of Visitors	Percentage
Employees Individual who is employed by PWCS	39	61%
Parents/Guardians Individual with a student who attends a PWCS	24	38%
Community Individual with concerns regarding PWCS	1	1%

 

Classification of Employee Visitors
Certified	17
Administrator	15
Classified	7

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Uniform Reporting Categories

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.

1. Compensation and Benefits;
2. Evaluative Relationships;
3. Peer and Colleague Relationships;
4. Career Progression and Development;
5. Legal, Regulatory, Financial, and Compliance;
6. Safety, Health, and Physical Environment;
7. Services/Administrative Issues;
8. Organizational, Strategic, and Mission Related; and
9. Values, Ethics, and Standards.

Uniform Reporting Categories Data

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	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4
1. Compensation & Benefits	0	1
2. Evaluative Relationships	90	79
3. Peer and Colleague Relationships	20	10
4. Career Progression and Development	8	7
5. Legal, Regulatory, Financial, and Compliance	5	8
6. Safety, Health, and Physical Environment	8	10
7. Services/Administrative Issues	69	64
8. Organizational, Strategic, and Mission	44	22
9. Values, Ethics, and Standards	9	3

 

Specific Issue Category - Q1	Employee  Concerns	Parent/Guardian  Concerns	Community  Concerns
1. Compensation & Benefits	1%	0%	0%
2. Evaluative Relationships	60%	0%	0%
3. Peer and Colleague Relationships	8%	0%	0%
4. Career Progression and Development	5%	0%	0%
5. Legal, Regulatory, Financial, and Compliance	3%	5%	14%
6. Safety, Health, and Physical Environment	5%	5%	0%
7. Services/Administrative Issues	2%	85%	86%
8. Organizational, Strategic, and Mission	14%	5%	0%
9. Values, Ethics, and Standards	2%	0%	0%

 ¹ The term “Ombuds” includes all applicable nomenclature in use for an organizational ombudsperson.