Missouri public school students could be required to take a driver education course before they graduate from high school. State Rep. Rodger Reedy, R-Windsor, wants to offer the course to students in grades 10 to 12. He said it’s not being offered all across the state.
“There is a need for some driver’s education to be out there because we have a lot of young people that when they start to drive, they may have not had much training or very little education on driving,” he said.
Written testimony supporting his sponsored bill states that driver’s education classes have been neglected under the current high school curriculum, comparing it to learning how to cook, making a resume, and balancing a checkbook. In touting the importance of learning how to drive, Reedy told Missourinet that the courses typically were offered during the school year.
“They had classroom instruction, they had driving, actual driving instruction,” he explained. “Schools have kind of got away from that and typically, we see them having programs in the summer maybe where students can take the driver’s education course for a fee. But what I wanted to do with my bill is make it available to all students.”
Reedy said the course would be an add-on to the already existing health requirement for schools.
“You know, all students have to have a half credit of health to graduate,” he added. “So, this would be just a section that it would not require them to be in seat driving, which it would be a great thing, but the cost gets prohibitive at times, but they would talk about things such as safe driving.”
The bill received no opposition in committee.
Click here for more information on House Bill 603.
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