**The Driver Education Registration Forms are located at the bottom of this page.**
Once students have registered they must also complete the Classroom Driver Education Google Form or the Behind the Wheel Google Form located just above the registration forms at the bottom of this page.
MINNESOTA'S TEEN DRIVER LICENSING SYSTEM
Minnesota’s Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) system allows novice drivers to build experience incrementally by requiring more supervision in the initial learning driving phases. GDL also reduces exposure to high-risk situations such as carrying teen passengers and nighttime driving. Research has proven that parental influences and controls are clearly effective in making teens safer drivers.
Stage 1 - Instruction Permit:
- Must be at least 15 years old.
- Must have completed 30 hours of classroom training and be enrolled in behind-the-wheel training with an approved driver education program. n Must pass the state knowledge test.
- Permit holder may drive under the supervision of a parent, guardian or other licensed driver 21 or older occupying the front passenger seat.
- Drivers and all passengers must wear seat belts or be in the correct child safety restraint.
- May not operate a vehicle while using a cell phone, whether hand-held or hands-free except to call 911 in an emergency. It is illegal for drivers of all ages to compose, read, or send text messages/emails, or access the internet on a wireless device — including when stopped in traffic.
Stage 2 - Provisional License:
- Must be at least 16, complete six hours of behind-the-wheel training and pass the road test.
- Must have held a permit for six months with no convictions for moving violations, or impaired driving violations.
- Parent/guardian must complete a supervised driving log, certifying their teen driver spent a minimum of 50 hours behind the wheel, of which at least 15 were at night.
- If the parent/guardian completes an approved 90-minute parent awareness class, the minimum number of hours a teen is required to spend behind the wheel is reduced from 50 to 40, 15 of which are still required a night.
- To ensure your teen is prepared to drive safely in various driving and weather conditions, teens should obtain super- vised practice time well beyond the minimum required by law.
- The supervised driving log must be submitted when taking the provisional driver license road test and becomes part of the teen’s permanent driving record.
- For the first six months of licensure driving is prohibited from midnight to 5 a.m. unless: accompanied by a licensed driver age 25 or older; driving for employment; driving between home and place of employment; or driving to/from home and a school event for which the school has not provided transportation.
- For the first six months of licensure only one passenger under the age of 20 is permitted, unless accompanied by a parent or guardian. Passengers under age 20 who are members of the driver’s immediate family are permitted.
- For the second six months of licensure no more than three passengers under the age of 20 are permitted, unless accompanied by a parent or guardian. Passengers under age 20 who are members of the driver’s immediate family are permitted.
- Drivers and all passengers must wear seat belts or be in the correct child safety restraint.
- May not operate a vehicle while using a cell phone, whether hand-held or hands-free except to call 911 in an emergency. It is illegal for drivers of all ages to compose, read, or send text messages/ emails, or access the internet on a wireless device — including when stopped in traffic.
Stage 3 - Full License
- Parent must certify completion of at least 10 additional hours of supervised driving.
- Must have held a provisional license for at least 12 consecutive months with no convictions for impaired driving or crash-related moving violations, and not have more than one conviction for a non-crash related moving violation.
JWP COMMUNITY EDUCATION SUMMER DRIVER EDUCATION
Please read the following information prior to registering your child for Driver Education. Driver Education Registration Forms can be found at the bottom of this page.
CLASSROOM DRIVER EDUCATION
The state of Minnesota requires anyone under the age of 18 wishing to obtain a MN Driver’s License to complete an approved course in driver education. This course must include a minimum of 30 hours of classroom instruction and six hours of behind-the-wheel instruction. Our Driver Education program is taught by certified licensed instructors.
STUDENTS: The first phase of driver education, 30 hours of in-class instruction, prepares students for the knowledge (instruction permit) test. Students increase their understanding of basic skills, principles, and processes of responsible driving. Areas of concentration include driver's rights and responsibilities, alcohol and other drugs, signs-signals-road markings, rules of the road, safe driving tips, Minnesota traffic laws, and limitations for teen drivers. Upon successfully completing the classroom instruction, students will receive their blue card (certificate of course completion). The blue card is required to take the permit test at the DMV.
- Students may enroll in Classroom Driver Education at 14 years of age, but they must be age 15 to take the permit test.
- Students are expected to attend every class for the entire 3 hours of each class.
- There is only ONE make-up day. If a student misses more than one class, there will be an extra charge for each day missed.
PARENTS: The state has passed laws that will affect you.
- The state of Minnesota now requires a "primary driving supervisor " in each household that is in charge of documenting hours driven by your permitted driver.
- They now require 50 logged and documented hours of driving (15 of these at night) before your child can take their road test.
- They now require that a parent (primary driving supervisor) must also attend a 1-1/2 hour Parent Meeting presented by the instructor. If the parent (primary driving supervisor) attends this meeting, the student is only required to log 40 hours.
- There is a MANDATORY Parent Meeting.
**Two sessions of Classroom Driver Education will be offered each year. One session in the spring and another session in the summer.**
BEHIND THE WHEEL (BTW) DRIVER EDUCATION:
During the months of June, July, & August students have the opportunity to take Behind the Wheel training through JWP Community Education. By law students are required to successfully complete 6 hours of BTW training with a qualified instructor in order to take Minnesota’s driving road test. Students will receive a Driver Education "White Card" (certificate of course completion) that shows that they have successfully completed BTW Driver Education training. Student are required to have their permit for six months and be 16 years of age before they are eligible to take the road test for their driver's license.
Important BTW Information:
- Students must have successfully completed the 30 hour classroom portion of Driver Education.
- Students must have a State of Minnesota Driving Permit.
- Students will complete the Behind the Wheel Google Form at registration to choose the two dates (3 hours/each) they wish to drive.
- Switching dates is difficult, so students should make sure they are available on the dates & times they choose.
**BTW training is not offered during the school year. Behind the Wheel Driver Education will be offered each summer.**
QUESTIONS:
If you have any questions regarding DRIVER EDUCATION, please contact:
If you have any questions regarding PAYMENT, please contact:
Lisa Schroeder, JWP Community Ed. Director
lschroeder@isd2835.org
(507) 231-2102
If you have any questions regarding REGISTRATION, please contact:
(507) 231-7777
If you have South Country Health Alliance (SCHA) Insurance, please contact Nancy Hartfiel. SCHA it will pay $15.00 of the registration fee. Nancy will complete the registration form for you and invoice SCHA for the $15.00.
507-231-7777
Step 1: Complete the Registration Form.
Step 2: Complete the Google Form.
**Behind the Wheel Google Form: 2024 Summer Behind the Wheel Driver Education - Choose your Driving Dates
Students must complete the Behind the Wheel Google form after they register to choose the dates & times they want to drive.
**Classroom Driver Ed. Google Form: 2024 Summer Classroom Driver Education - Student & Parent Information
Students must complete the Classroom Driver Education Google form after they register.
