Meeting Schedule
PWCS Driver Education Model Becomes State Law
Virginia Code §22.1-205 Driver education programs, requires students and their parents living in Planning District 8 which includes the counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William, and the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas and Manassas Park, to participate in a 90-minute parent/teen presentation. This presentation has been added to District 8 classroom driver education courses.
Students are to accompany their parents/guardians in participating in a 90-minute traffic safety program as part of their in-classroom driver education curriculum. This program requirement must be met before a student receives a Driver Education Certificate of Completion card (DEC-8 card).
Parents/guardians and students are strongly encouraged to attend the program at the time the student is enrolled in the classroom driver education course. Doors will close promptly at the beginning of the presentation. In order to meet the 90-minute requirement of participation by parents and students, participants will not be permitted to enter the program after it has started and the doors are closed. Presentations are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. on weeknights.
Parents and their students are strongly encouraged to follow these guidelines:
- Attend the school presentation where your child attends school. If your schedule does not allow you to attend at your school, you may attend any PWCS high school presentation.
- Parents and students shall attend a meeting in the school year that the student is currently taking HPE II which includes classroom driver education.
- No student may begin range/road (behind-the-wheel) instruction until they have received the required DEC 8 card.
According to state data, teen drivers who have completed the PWCS driver education program have one of the lowest crash rates in Virginia. Statistics from 2015-16 show students enrolled in our program have a 1.8% crash ratio within 12 months of receiving a driver's license.
The Partners for Safe Teen Driving Program teaches parents about current state driving laws, discusses techniques and strategies for coaching teens, empowers the parent with tools to assist their student in managing the high-risk driving environment in our community, and offers other essential safety information. We look forward to seeing you at our meetings!