The Ombuds Blog: Ombuds Urged for Boulder School District

July 10, 2007

Ombuds Urged for Boulder School District

After public outcry over a recent sex and drug education program, Boulder Valley School District in Colorado is considering hiring an ombuds to improve communications and facilitate resolution of community concerns. A local watchdog group, BSVDWatch, is urging the district to follow the lead of the school district in Austin, TX, and create an organizational ombuds position. (BSVD Minutes; BSVDWatch.org; CBS4Denver.)

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Organizational Ombuds

Organizational Ombuds serve as a confidential, independent, neutral and informal dispute resolution resource for a specific entity. They are accessible to a defined population and can advocate for fairness. These unique characteristics distinguish Organizational Ombuds from Classical Ombuds, mediators, arbitrators, and other alternative dispute resolution professionals. The term "Ombuds" is shorthand for "Ombudsman," "Ombudsperson" and "Ombuds Officer," which also are used widely.

Some other variants include:

Austria -- Ombudsstelle

Brazil -- Ouvidor

Croatia -- pravobranitelji

France -- médiateur/defénseur

Germany -- Ombudspersonen

Italy -- difensore

Netherlands -- ombudspersoon

Norway -- ombudet

Poland -- Rzecznik

Portugal -- provedor

Russia -- омбудсмен

Spain -- ombudsman organizacional

Sweden -- studentombud

Switzerland -- ombudsmann

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