PGCPS office of integrity and compliance outlines complaint process, investigative authority and early audits

Frank Turner, the integrity and compliance officer for Prince George’s County Public Schools, briefed the Parent and Community Advisory Council on May 7 about the newly staffed Office of Integrity and Compliance, its authority under state law and how it handles complaints and audits.

Turner, who described his background in federal law enforcement, said the office was created by state statute and that his team has subpoena authority and the power to request documents “promptly and without any interference,” as set out in the law. He explained the office’s mission: to prevent, detect and report fraud, waste and abuse, strengthen internal controls and support compliance with applicable laws and board policies.

Turner summarized what the office will and will not do. The office investigates potential systemic fraud, waste and abuse, conducts performance audits and can subpoena documents and witnesses; it also performs budget analyses and produces management advisories. He said the office does not handle employee harassment, discrimination or retaliation complaints (those matters remain with Human Resources), nor does it perform routine school-based audits that fall to internal audit. Turner emphasized the office’s intent to partner with the school system to improve operations and to monitor referrals the office passes to other PGCPS units.

On intake and transparency, Turner described multiple complaint channels: online forms, email (oic@pgcps.org), voicemail, mail and walk-ins at designated offices. He said complainants receive an acknowledgement within 10 days of filing and that the OIC will monitor referrals to other offices and expect a status report within 30 days of a referral. The office requires staff nondisclosure agreements, takes confidentiality seriously and will redact or withhold confidential student information when appropriate. Turner said some findings are released in aggregated or redacted management advisories to protect complainants and confidential details while still informing the public about corrective actions.

Turner described staff growth: a financial administrator/deputy, an executive administrative assistant, a compliance and audit specialist, two investigators (the second investigator began the Monday before the May 7 meeting) and a compliance notice specialist. He said the office will begin a larger audit soon and plans to publish a midyear and annual report documenting its work. Turner offered the office as a resource for parents and community groups and said he will share presentation materials with PCAT.

Council members asked for clarification about how the OIC differs from internal audit and the Board of Education ethics panel; Turner said internal audit handles routine, school-based financial reviews and reports to the board, while the OIC is an independent, systemwide office that focuses on investigations and systemic issues. He also discussed how the office balances transparency and privacy by issuing redacted reports and by monitoring corrective actions; how long the office monitors corrective actions depends on the specifics of the remedy and whether the system is making demonstrable progress.

Turner closed by reaffirming the office’s public-facing role and asking PCAT members to share the complaint channels with parents. He said the office will continue to publicize its reports and that he expects to issue an annual report after the fiscal year closes.