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NEW STAFF TO HELP YOU NAVIGATE Frederick County Public Schools BY TERRY ALBAN, SUPERINTENDENT, FREDERICK COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Frederick County Public Schools (FCPS) is a large and diverse school system, with 43,000 students, 6,000 employees and 67 schools. Imagine the many policies, regulations and procedures that shape how the school system serves students, families and staff, and you have an idea how the process of navigating through issues and concerns can pose a potential challenge. It’s sometimes difficult even to know where to start. To help students, families, staff and community members better address concerns, the FCPS Board of Education has created the new Office of the Ombuds. Frederick joins Baltimore City and Howard County and Montgomery County school systems in providing an ombuds office. Ombuds’ roles are to provide information about FCPS programs and services, foster collaboration focused on the best possible options for resolution, and identify areas for systemic improvements. In these roles, the ombuds works to empower a thriving partnership for solutions, helping navigate the process to resolve a challenging situation. The ombuds also supports the board and the wider community by reporting suggested ways to improve student achievement and enhance FCPS’s organizational efficiency.
Independent—The ombuds reports directly to the board and is
Confidential—The ombuds provides a safe place for discussing
outside of other FCPS lines of authority.
concerns and keeps communication confidential, only sharing identities
Impartial—The ombuds is neutral and impartial, not taking sides or advocating any particular position but rather collaborating with
Informal—The ombuds helps develop options and serves as a
people who need help to find options for getting the best possible
sounding board to guide collaboration.
outcome for all involved.
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of those who contact the ombuds when permission is granted.
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Here are four words that help explain the ombuds’ roles:
