Pretty much any way you slice the word "Ombudsman" it refers to a person. The Board of Education website even lists a "person" as having that role! (See image at left.) But don't be fooled, there is no such person at the MCPS Board of Education office.
On November 11, 2008, Board member Shirley Brandman made clear (see video below) that anyone who picks up the phone at the Board of Education office gets to "ombudsman." Ms. Brandman made it official in the Board of Education Handbook that there was no one person. Instead the Board defines ombudsman as a "function."
Ms. Brandman explained, "You wouldn't call up and ask for the particular Ombudsman..."
Board member Judy Docca responded that the Ombudsman had always been one person. But she was told that the Board of Education had changed the policy and made ombudsman a "function".
Ombudsman is a noun. But now, according to the Board of Education, ombudsman is something that staff "do".
The word "ombudsman" now has a new definition. See the Urban Dictionary for the MCPS definition of the word.
Here are some examples from the Urban Dictionary so that parents can understand how the word ombudsman is used by the Board of Education:
"Please ombudsman that issue."
" I can't take that phone call right now I am in the middle of ombudsmaning this letter."
"Let me ombudsman that for you."
Gosh, I'm behind. But doesn't this new definition neatly answer the concern some of us have had that the identified ombudsman (last I knew it was the very cordial Roland Ikheloa) was also the BoE Chief of Staff? In fact, as you point out, he is still listed as filling both these possibly conflicting roles...
ReplyDeleteMr. Roland Ikheloa
Chief of Staff | Ombudsman
301-279-3301