School is back in session across North Carolina, but many high school students and their parents may be disappointed that driver’s education is not. Driver’s education has long been a staple of the high school experience in this state. I vividly recall my afternoon class in the Northwood High School auditorium with driving instructor Ed Kitchen. I can see him now with his foot perched by the passenger-side brake as we drove the rural roads of Chatham County. What has interrupted this rite of passage at some North Carolina high schools? The General Assembly. The legislature eliminated state funding for driver’s education programs as of July 1, 2015, and directed local boards of education to foot the bill. Local schools may charge students participating in a driver education course a fee of up to $65 to offset the cost of providing the training and instruction. The problem is that driver’s education, which has largely been outsourced to private companies, can cost a lot more than $65 to provide. Some school districts lack the funds to make up the difference. Why does it matter? Just ask a high school student. To obtain a driver’s license before age 18, a person must progress through North Carolina’s graduated licensing system. That process begins with a limited learner’s permit. And a person cannot obtain such a permit without having first passed “a course of driver education prescribed in G.S. 115C-215 or a course of driver instruction at a licensed commercial driver training school.” G.S. 20-11(b)(1). A 16-year-old [...]
Faculty Coordinators
