Central has been missing a driver’s ed class for decades, yet its students would still benefit from driver’s education offered by the school. Students are still learning to drive and the expensive costs and other barriers to taking driver’s ed are still present. Ending driver’s ed because of high insurance costs left many Central students without the opportunity to be taught how to drive by an instructor.
Privately owned driving schools in Omaha charge as much as $500 and require attending more than 20 hours of instruction or driving practice. Even though the price of driver’s ed can pay off later in saving on insurance costs, qualified driver’s ed offered for free at a school would save even more. The National Safety Council of Nebraska offers a scholarship covering all or part of a driver’s ed class for lower-income students, but this is the only driver’s ed program offering scholarships in Omaha. Additionally, students with responsibilities outside of school may be unable to fit classes into their schedules.
By offering a free driving class during the school day as an elective, or even as required for graduation, all students would have access to quality driver’s ed and the subsequent benefits. Drivers who take driver’s ed are less likely to get into accidents or have bad driving habits such as distracted driving. In the U.S., learning to drive safely and well is a practical skill. Unless public transportation rapidly improves and schools teach students how to utilize it, driving skills are a requirement for reaching work and school. It is safer for everyone when every driver has learned how to drive well.
Driving skills should be treated like any other life skill taught at Central. If many students will eventually drive every day, is driving not as pertinent a skill as Personal Finance? Not to mention, hundreds of students drive to Central every day already and small accidents on the way interrupt students’ abilities to get to school.
The discontinuation of Central’s driver’s ed program was due to high insurance costs. Equipping a driver’s ed program is bound to be expensive. However, driving proficiency is a practical skill that needs prioritization and would ultimately lead to fewer problems for Central. A skill being used every day by hundreds of students should be supported by the district and continually sharpened. For students’ safety and to diminish interruptions to their attendance, offering driver’s ed is essential. Driver’s ed has so much urgent value, arguably more than some programs that large hunks of Central’s money does go to (like new football uniforms every year).
OPS knows that life skills are important parts of the curriculum, yet not when it comes to driving.
