Betty D. Covington represented the Potomac Magisterial District on the Prince William County School Board. She was first elected School Board member in the Dumfries, now Potomac, District in 1995 and served from 1996 to 1997. Returning to educational administration in 1997, she was appointed principal of Dumfries Elementary, where she served for six years. In 2003, 2007, and 2011 she was re-elected to the School Board and served continuously for 12 years. She celebrated her 54th year in education in 2015, having served as a classroom teacher, assistant principal, principal, and School Board member.

Mrs. Covington retired from Kilby Elementary School in 1995 after serving 19 years as its principal. After her retirement, the Kilby PTA and staff named the multi-purpose room as the "Betty D. Covington Multi-Purpose Room" in her honor.

From 1974 to 1976, Mrs. Covington served as the principal of the Saunders Kindergarten Center, the first public kindergarten in Prince William County. Earlier, she spent three years as assistant principal of Dale City Elementary School when it was a pilot school for implementation of year-round school.

Prior to becoming an administrator, she was a classroom teacher for 11 years, nine of which she spent at Dumfries Elementary School. In early 2015, following a request from the Dumfries Elementary School PTA and staff, the School Board approved naming the library in her honor. We celebrate the dedication of the "Betty DeVane Covington Library."

In 1991, Mrs. Covington was nominated for the Washington Post Distinguished Educational Leadership Award and Prince William County Principal of the Year. In 2001, she was honored by the School Board with a Service Award in appreciation of her "exemplary leadership, commitment to excellence, and devotion to students and their families for forty years." In 2012 she was again honored for 50 years of service.

In 2003, Mrs. Covington received the Educator of the Year Award from the Boys and Girls Club. In subsequent years, this award has been presented annually as the Betting Covington Educator of the Year Award. She received the Star Award for Endless Dedication to Youth from the Boys and Girls Club in 2001. Mrs. Covington has also been recognized by Reading is Fundamental and named the Distinguished Woman of the Year at various times by the Soroptimist Club, the Zontas Club and the Commission for Women. She has been head judge for the Prince William County Spelling Bee for many years.

In 2007, Mrs. Covington was presented the Minerva Award for Public Service by the Prince William County Alumni Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and Delta Education and Public Service Foundation of Prince William County.

In 2009, Mrs. Covington received the Human Rights Award from the Prince William County Human Rights Commission. The Human Rights Commission award recognizes Mrs. Covington for her many contributions to the Town of Dumfries and her advocacy for the students of Prince William County. During her time as a teacher, assistant principal, and principal in Prince William County Public Schools, she focused her efforts on the needs of her students to ensure that they all achieved at high levels regardless of economic status or ethnicity. She continued that focus as a member of the Prince William County School Board representing the Potomac District.

In 2010, Mrs. Covington was elected at the state conference and sworn in as a Member At-Large for the Board of Directors of the Virginia School Boards Association on the Virginia Department of Education Gifted Education Committee.

For several years, Mrs. Covington served on the Board of Directors and continues to serve on the Awards Committee for the Curry School of Education Foundation at the University of Virginia.

Mrs. Covington received her Bachelor of Science in Education from East Carolina University and a Master of Arts in School Administration from the University of Virginia. Her three children are all graduates of Prince William County Public Schools.

Most recently Mrs. Covington was honored with the naming of the newest elementary school in her honor along with John Harper, Jr. The new school will be named the Covington-Harper Elementary School. Covington-Harper Elementary School will open for the 2017-2018 school year.