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What is an Ombudsman?
History
The Special Education
Ombudsman position at OSPI was established by the Washington State
Legislature during the 2005 session. The purpose of the Ombudsman is to
provide support to parents, guardians, educators, and students with
disabilities. The Ombudsman provides information to help families and
educators understand state and federal laws, rules, regulations, and to
access training and support, technical information services, and mediation
services, as appropriate.
Overview
The term Ombudsman means citizen’s representative. The
creation of the Special Education Ombudsman Program at OSPI demonstrates
Washington’s on-going commitment to providing quality educational services
to all students. The Ombudsman works neutrally and objectively with all
parties to help make sure that eligible students receive services and
supports necessary for them to benefit from public education, as guaranteed
under federal and state laws.
Some questions and answers are provided below to help explain
the concept of the Special Education Ombudsman and how it is intended to
operate in our state. For further information and assistance, please contact
Kristin Hennessey by phone at (360) 725- 6075 or by email at
kristin.hennessey@k12.wa.us.
What is an Ombudsman?
An Ombudsman is a neutral party that works to ensure that
bureaucracies function fairly and provide services equitably. All Ombudsman
work independently, not on behalf of any one party. Personally
identifiable information shared with the Special Education Ombudsman is not
revealed to a third party without permission.
How are Ombudsman services beneficial to citizens?
Government is complex. Ombudsman services exist to address
individual concerns about bureaucratic systems.
Can Ombudsman Programs be set up in different ways and vary in
their responsibilities?
Yes, the role of an Ombudsman can be
defined in different ways, depending on the needs of an organization. The
role of the Special Education Ombudsman at OSPI is to help
parents resolve disagreements with school districts about special education
services quickly and at the lowest level possible. The Special Education
Ombudsman does this by:
·
Helping parents and educators better understand special education processes
and regulations
·
Acting as a neutral facilitator between citizens and school districts to
help solve problems related to special education
·
Clarifying the roles of parents, as well as educators, related to special
education services
·
Acting as a neutral and confidential sounding board to explore options for
resolving special education related disagreements
·
Advising callers about communication strategies that help to support a team
approach to a child’s educational program
·
Explaining options for formally resolving a special education disagreement
or complaint
·
Advocating for a fair process
·
Working to prevent individual concerns from being overlooked by the system
·
Making recommendations to OSPI based upon patterns of complaints, if
patterns emerge
-
Serving as a resource
for disability related information and referral
The
Special Education Ombudsman located within OSPI:
-
Does not
act as an attorney
-
Does not
provide legal advice
-
Does not
determine special education or OSPI policy
-
Does not
conduct investigations and/or write reports
-
Does not
advocate on behalf of any one party or organization
-
Is not
a defender of OSPI practices
-
Is not
someone who can order a public agency to fix your problem
How
can I contact the Special Education Ombudsman?
Kristin Hennessey can be reached by phone at
(360) 725- 6075 or by email at
kristin.hennessey@k12.wa.us.
Printable version of this
question and answer document (pdf)
Link to Dispute Resolution Mechanisms
Note: If you have a
dispute under the Early Intervention Section (Part C) of the IDEA, it can be
sent to:
Department of Social and
Health Services
Infant Toddler
Early Intervention Program
P.O. Box 45201
Olympia, WA
98504-5201
(360) 902-8488
http://www1.dshs.wa.gov/iteip/ |