Students across NY State were enrolled in various Drivers Ed programs which were abruptly ended by the Covid-19 pandemic in mid March 2020. Generally, these classes are half classroom teaching and half driving. Parents have been told by their Drivers Ed programs that they have to wait until the fall. The classes will run from September into mid December.

This is upsetting as many of these kids will be turning 17 in the next few weeks or already are. Without completing a HS affiliated Driver’s Education program, they will not be able to get their full NYS license until they turn 18. These rising HS seniors have been majorly impacted by Covid-19. They will not be able to take the SAT / ACT and SAT subjects tests until September. Most of the college tours they were supposed to take in their junior year were canceled. This leads to a very busy and stressful fall for these kids during a worldwide pandemic. Not to mention, no one is sure how fall will play out as we reopen. We could be starting a second peak by the fall.

It doesn’t have to be this way. We can change the rules temporarily so that the kids can finish all or at least part of their Drivers Ed program over the summer. Many other states during the pandemic have allowed virtual classes for the teaching component. Allowing the teaching component alone to go virtual would cut the amount of fall classes in half as each weekly class could be spent solely driving. We could possibly take this a step further and exempt the NYS HS Drivers Ed programs from the no summer school due to Covid-19 rule which would allow these kids to complete their program over the summer. The Drivers Ed cars have only 5 people, windows can be open while driving and masks can be worn. In NYS, we are in phase 1 and are already allowed to have small socially distanced gatherings of 10 people. This week we are set to enter phase 2. By July, we should hopefully be further along and in phase 3. By not changing any rules, we are impacting these current students as well as impeding the next fall and spring sessions of kids who will be eligible for Drivers Ed programs this coming year. There will be no class availability for them.

Please consider and make these temporary changes to the rules as soon as possible. We need to be able to have our kids finish their program in a more reasonable amount of time. The fall is shaping up to be busy and stressful with trying to fit in missed tests and college tours. The kids want and need to complete the program to get their full license as well as for reasonable insurance rates reasons. Furthermore, this pandemic is unpredictable and as such we can’t be sure they will be able to start up again in the fall which would mean they could have to wait a year to obtain their full license. Not making any change is an unnecessary obstacle that can be avoided so as not to add to the stress on our children's mental health in this crazy time of uncertainty.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.