The Prince George’s County Council is excited to announce the appointment of Jocelyn Route to the Prince George’s County Board of Education. 

Route is a social worker, mental health activist, former Bladensburg Council Member and mother of four PGCPS scholars, two of whom have special education needs. 

“Jocelyn is a proven leader and education advocate, and she will be a wonderful asset to the Prince George’s County Board of Education,” said Prince George’s County Council Chair Tom Dernoga. “I’m thrilled to welcome her.”

"As a former school board member, I am so excited for the community to get to know Jocelyn. This is the first new school board member appointed by Council in a decade, and I’m confident our parents, students and staff will be impressed by Jocelyn’s fresh ideas and perspective,” said District 8 Council Member Edward Burroughs, who chairs the Council’s Education Workforce Development Committee. 

Route holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Political Science and a Master’s degree from Howard University. She’s a proud Life Member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc.

She currently serves as a Public Health Advisor for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Prior to her appointment there, Route was responsible for establishing the Transition Age Youth Mental Health system of care for the D.C. government, and also opened a transitional housing apartment community for young adults.

“I want to thank the Council for this appointment. As a mental health professional, I know how important it is to address PGCPS scholars’ trauma-informed mental health needs,” Route said. “Our youth can’t succeed in school if their mental health needs are not being addressed. Students are the future of Prince George’s County and we must invest in our Prince George’s County!”

Route believes the diverse needs of Prince George’s County scholars and their families always come first. Her priorities from day one include: raising reading and math scores; working to address unmet facility needs and improving aging and deteriorating school facilities; ensuring teachers and principals are heard, empowered, and supported; and guaranteeing competitive salaries for all school system staff as well as employees working on capital improvement projects. 

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