Office of the Ombuds
Department Contact Information
The FCPS Office of the Ombuds serves as an independent, confidential resource for students, families, community members, and employees who are seeking informal help to answer questions, resolve concerns, and voice complaints regarding FCPS matters. The Office of the Ombuds reports to the Chief Experience and Engagement Officer.
The word Ombudsman means "representative."
About Us
The Office of the Ombuds supports the mission of Fairfax County Public Schools. We serve families, students, employees, and community members by:
- providing information about resources and how to access them,
- understanding concerns and providing support to resolve them.
The office follows the four principles of the International Ombuds Association: confidentiality, independence, impartiality, and informality.
- Provide parents, students, employees, and community members an opportunity to share concerns and complaints in a confidential manner
- Relay information about FCPS programs, regulations, and policies
- Share ideas to help parents advocate for their child’s education
- Offer information and support to students and parents of children with disabilities, to help them understand and navigate these processes
Examples of What We Do
- Sharing strategies for parents to improve communication with, and between, school and home
- Helping to resolve disagreements between parents and schools or disagreements involving employees in the workplace
- Providing ideas to foster parent participation in Individual Education Plan (IEP) and 504 Plan meetings
- Change or make decisions, policies, or regulations
- Take sides
- Provide legal advice
- Complete investigations
- Serve as a channel to address formal complaints
Annual Reports
Media & Downloads
Office of the Ombuds Flier:
English | English (FCPS Employees) |
Amharic | Arabic | Chinese | Farsi | Korean | Spanish | Urdu | Vietnamese
January 2023
Dawn Clements, FCPS Ombuds, and Kathy Murphy, Assistant Ombuds for Special Education were interviewed for the FCPS Multilingual Family Podcast.
Listen:
English | Español (Spanish) | العربية (Arabic) | 한국어 (Korean)
Information and resources in the Parent Advocacy Handbook are designed help parents and guardians advocate for and support their children’s academic, social, and emotional growth from preschool through high school and beyond.
English (webpages on this website) | English (PDF) |
Arabic | Chinese | Korean | Spanish
Frequently Used K-12 Acronyms - A list of the acronyms and their meanings.
When to Contact Us
- When you want help resolving an issue that affects student learning or the school/work environment
- When you want to understand how FCPS works or where to go for assistance
