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Audit Buzz Newsletter
January 2024
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Engagement and Office Updates
Happy New Year!
In this issue of the Audit Buzz, we summarize the status of current engagements; promote the Fraud, Waste and Abuse hotline; offer a training opportunity; and explain what happens after you see something, say something in the Knowledge Hive.
Prior editions of Audit Buzz are archived here on Office of Auditor General's (OAG) website.
As always, we appreciate the cooperation and courtesies extended to our staff by Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) management and staff during all past, current, and future audit engagements.
Current Engagement Update
At the January 22 Audit Committee meeting, we presented the following agenda items:
We are currently conducting the audits of Facilities Maintenance and Grants as well as completing the Continuous Monitoring and FY25 Risk Assessment.
Did you Know?
See Something, Say Something: Fraud, Waste, and Abuse Hotline
FCPS provides ways for employees and the public to report any suspected wrongdoing related to FCPS’ assets and resources. Reporting will help ensure taxpayers’ money is spent in the proper way -- on our students’ education. It can also help improve employees’ work environment. Reports can be made in person, by phone, by email, or online. All reports are taken seriously, and every effort will be made to review the reports according to the applicable laws, codes, policies, or regulations. Staff can assist the reviews by providing as much information as possible. Please visit the Auditor General webpage for more information.
OAG Outreach and Education: Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Opportunity
OAG is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) and serves as the sponsor for the FCPS Continuing Professional Education (CPE) programs, dedicated to support FCPS employees with complimentary CPE credits required by various certification agencies. OAG is pleased to offer a new NASBA training opportunity for FCPS employees to earn up to 3 CPE credits:
Course: See Something, Say Something - How You Could Help with Fighting Fraud, Waste and Abuse at FCPS
Date: March 8, 2024
Time: 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
This training is designed for all FCPS employees on fraud, waste, and abuse according to FCPS Policy 1107 and Regulation 1410. FCPS employees may sign-up for the training on MyPDE.
Knowledge Hive
“See something, say something” … then what?
OAG encourages people that want to report fraud, waste or abuse related to FCPS, to contact us by email, phone, in person, mail, or anonymously with our online submission form. Do you know what we do with the information? First and foremost, our office takes each report seriously and handles it in accordance with FCPS policy to pursue the facts and safeguard the identity of the claimant. The following is a description of the process that we follow:
Once our office receives a notification, we create a report and enter all pertinent information in our audit management program. School Board Policy 1107, “Fraud, Waste, and Abuse”, and FCPS Regulation 1410, “Procedures for Reporting and Investigating Embezzlement, Fraud, Waste or Abuse, and Other Financial Wrongdoing”, guide our work. Regulation 1410 states that our office conducts a preliminary review to determine if there is credible evidence of fraud, waste, and abuse (as defined in Policy 1107). When necessary, we involve the Office of Division Counsel, the Department of Human Resources or other FCPS departments. For us to conduct this preliminary review, often time we will need to delve deeper into the issue: establish objectives for the review; make sure we understand the processes; request data; conduct interviews; and visit schools or offices. All data points collected are reviewed and recommendations towards improving controls are written and shared with School Board and FCPS management, as necessary. We may need to open a formal investigation or audit depending on findings.
Regulation 1410 outlines the employee’s responsibility to report irregularities: Any employee who has a reasonable basis to believe that there is an occurrence of fraud, waste, and abuse shall notify their supervisor, or supervisor’s supervisor. But if one or both is believed to be compromised, they should notify OAG or the Human Resources internal investigator. They should not personally attempt to investigate it. Good faith reports will be treated with the highest degree of sensitivity and confidentiality.
When leaving a voice mail message on our hotline, please state as much detail as possible. It would be helpful if you have dates of the incident, what school or department you are referring to and a contact number for you so we may reach out for further information and to confirm we have heard you.
Upcoming Events
Next Audit Committee Meeting
The next Audit Committee meeting will be scheduled in February 2024. Please refer to BoardDocs for meeting information once it becomes available.
Fraud, Waste, and Abuse Hotline:
(571) 423-1333 (anonymous voicemail)
InternalAudit@fcps.edu (email is not anonymous)
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