The Queen Anne’s County system understands that parents, families, and community members play a key role in the success of all of our students and we also understand that parent and family involvement can make a positive difference in the lives of our children. There are times however when a parent or a guardian may feel the need to contact the school system about a particular issue involving their child. The issue may be school based or system wide. The Queen Anne’s County School system hopes that by working together we can resolve all concerns that you may have as a parent and that serving the best interest of your child is our highest priority,

What is an Ombudsman?

"Ombudsman" is a Swedish word meaning citizen representative or advocate. The primary responsibility of Queen Anne’s County Ombudsman is to help resolve school based or system wide concerns from parents and the community

 What does QACPS Ombudsman do?

• Listens to your concerns
• Provides information on policies and procedures
• Works with parents and community members to resolve concerns within the Queen Anne’s County School System.
• Ombudsmen handle issues such as: bullying/harassment, suspension, expulsion, special education, enrollment, transportation, discipline, academic progress, truancy, and more.

 STEPS TO HELP YOU THROUGH THE
COMPLAINT PROCESS

The first step is to contact the person who is closest to the issue. For example, if you have a concern about something that happened in your child’s classroom we suggest that you contact the teacher directly. You can do this either by email or by phone. This is the best first step and hopefully you will be able to have your concerns resolved to your satisfaction at this level. Many problems are merely a result of a miscommunication or a misunderstanding between the school and the home. So if you and the person closest to the concern are able to discuss the matter than usually between both parties the problem can be resolved. We hope that you remember that even though you may be upset about the situation it is important to be respectful and work towards a solution. More often than communicating with then person closest to the problem will result in a satisfactory solution for both parties. 

What is the next step in the process?

If you do not feel as though your concerns have been addressed by the person closest to the issue, the next step is to contact the principal. This communication can be by email or by telephone. If you explain the your concerns to the principal in a calm and respectful manner, he/she can fully understand the problem. The principal may suggest a meeting at the school to try to resolve the issue. This meeting may involve the person closest to the concern in order to fully resolve the situation.