What job did Michael Phelps's mother, Debbie, have?

Michael Phelps’s mother, Debbie, worked as a middle school principal. Her full name is Deborah Sue “Debbie” Phelps, and she was closely associated with Windsor Mill Middle School in Baltimore County, Maryland.

Debbie raised Michael and his two sisters, Whitney and Hilary, after divorcing their father, Fred, in 1994. Her career in education gave her a demanding professional life while she supported Michael’s development as a swimmer. During the 2008 Beijing Olympics, news coverage frequently showed her cheering from the stands while also identifying her as a school principal.

The wrong choices reflect common confusion within the Phelps family story: his father, Michael Fred Phelps, was a Maryland State Trooper, not Debbie. Debbie was also not his swimming coach; Michael’s longtime elite coach was Bob Bowman. She later moved into broader education-administration work, but “middle school principal” is the canonical answer for this question.