Wake County resumes driver’s ed program

The Wake County school system will resume its driver’s education program on Monday, news that thousands of teenagers have been waiting to hear since mid-August.

School officials said Tuesday that the more than 3,300 students who had completed the classroom portion before driver’s education was suspended will begin taking the behind-the-wheel portion on Monday. Those students will drive based on the order they completed the classroom portion and will be notified in the next several weeks when they can start.

Students who first need to take the 30 hours of classroom training will be able to begin in November. They’ll take the six hours of behind-the-wheel instruction after the students who took the classroom portion this summer.

Wake had suspended the program Aug. 21 because of concerns that the state would not fund driver’s education. But under the $21.74 billion state budget adopted Sept. 18 – months after the June 30 deadline – funding will be provided over the next two years while the program is reviewed.

Under North Carolina’s graduated licensing program for young drivers, driver’s education is mandatory for anyone younger than 18 who applies to get a learner’s permit. But many school districts suspended their programs because of the uncertainty about the state budget.

State law requires school districts to offer driver’s education to every student in public, private and home schools in their districts who wants the program. In Wake, 12,000 teens annually go through the district’s program, which is contracted to Jordan Driving School.

This story was originally published September 29, 2015 at 4:21 PM with the headline "Wake County resumes driver’s ed program."