Learning to drive and gaining freedom on the roads are exciting parts of developing high school experiences, but Driver’s Ed is often a complicated and expensive process that few students are eager to go through.
Camas High School (CHS) formerly held an in-school driving program years ago, but it has since been removed through changes to the district and budget priorities. Students wonder if it was worth it for the district to remove it. Numerous students have supported the idea of CHS providing a Driver’s Ed class again as it would give them affordable and convenient access to an education that is much easier to sign up for and attend. In theory, students could get an accessible education about driving while receiving career and technical education (CTE) credits that are needed to graduate.
One of the biggest problems students face with Driver’s Ed is the price. Students are required to pay a minimum fee of $625 to sign up for the class which can be a hefty amount of money for a high school student.
“I’ve heard of people being a little hesitant about doing Drivers Ed because of the price, so if the school has one that is more affordable for students, then it might be easier for them to get their education, license and permit,” CHS sophomore Esther Nyaturu said.
Driver’s Ed is also time-consuming, classes usually take two hours after school that students would often allocate for studying or extracurriculars.
“It takes up a lot of your day, it’s super difficult to sign up and you can never get into classes,” CHS sophomore Emily Parker said.
The system is especially tough considering that you are trying to get a spot in a class with teens from different school districts who want the same spot. Driver’s Ed classes being offered at CHS would eliminate this problem.
These classes could either be available as a summer program or take up a class period during the school day. Additionally, having classes at school would increase efficiency as students would not have to be dropped off at a separate building each day.
“It would be only a semester, so it’s not that big of a deal, but they could offer it as a summer class and that would be really helpful,” CHS junior Abby Vail said.
Of course, conflicts with the idea present themselves as well. It is hard to set up a program so big, driving schools in the area already include great classes with well-trained instructors. It also takes up space that could be filled with other classes that students are more willing to take.
“You would definitely have to make a choice; ‘do I want to drive or do I want to have fun in high school?’,” Vail said.
