Driver Education Program

The St. Vrain Valley School District has an established Driver Education Program. The District offers Driver Education classes, Driver Awareness classes, a Partnering With Parents class, and a Alive at 25 Parent Program. The courses provide professional instruction on how to operate a motor vehicle in addition to helping a parent/guardian gather an understanding of what Driver Education classes entail. They are available to all students who are of eligible age (and to parents/guardians of students in the case of the Partnering With Parents class or the Alive at 25 Parent Program).

Safety & Benefits

Safety of the District's drivers is one of the main reasons the Driver Education courses are offered. Currently, the number one killer of teenagers is automobile accidents. Statistics show that students who take a Driver Education course have a much greater chance of staying alive than students who do not. Statistics also show that teenagers who take a Driver Education course:

  • Get fewer tickets
  • Are more likely to wear their seatbelts
  • Are less likely to drink and drive

Driver Education classes also help the parents/guardians continue follow-up work as the student learns a difficult life skill. In addition to the known safety benefits of completing a Driver Education course, students who are enrolled in Driver Education classes can obtain a Learner's Permit as early as age 15 (instead of waiting until they are 16 years old). There are also financial benefits to completing the Driver Education course: eighty-five percent of the insurance companies operating in Colorado offer a reduction for students who have completed a driver education course.

Course Specifics

Instructors in the St. Vrain Valley Driver Education program have a teaching degree plus specific coursework for teaching in the Driver Education Program. There are two courses available for students and two for parents.

Partnering With Parents
Parent participation is a very important part of the Driver Education Program. It is requested that parents/guardians of students who are enrolled in Driver Education classes (or parents/guardians of students who are planning to enroll in Driver Education classes) attend one of the "Partnering with Parents" presentations. Each presentation contains a complete overview of the Driver Education classes, including teaching techniques and subject matter.

Driver Education
The Driver Education course includes individualized instruction and training in techniques such as perceptual skills, troubleshooting, and defensive driving. The techniques are practiced in a variety of driving situations that include the following environments: heavy traffic (Longmont and Boulder), freeway driving, mountain driving, country driving, and open highway driving. The textbooks used are approved by the Colorado Department of Revenue, Motor Vehicle Business Group, and the Driver License Section.

Students must be 14 years 6 months of age on or prior to the first day of class. The course is open to all licensed and non-licensed students who meet the current age requirements. A .25 credit hour graded on a Pass-Fail scale is automatically reported to the student's home school upon completion of the course.

Upon successfully completing the classroom portion of the course, a affidavit of completion is issued. The affidavit of completion cannot be obtained until all 30 hours of class time are completed. The certificate is valid for a period of 6 months, and must be surrendered in order to be issued an Instruction permit.

Driver Education Instructors are certified to administer the test for an Instruction Permit as well as the skills test for a Driver's License. The permit test is given the last day of the course, at no additional charge, for those students who are at least 15 years of age (during the course). Students who pass the written test will receive documentation showing that they have passed the permit test and can present the form to the State of Colorado when applying for an Instruction Permit. The State of Colorado has a separate fee ($14) to apply for an Instruction Permit. For those students who are not 15 during the Driver Education course, the State of Colorado can administer the permit test. The skills test for the Driver's License can be administered for a $30 fee once the student has met all requirements set out by the State of Colorado. Those students interested in having the District administer the skills test should contact the Driver Education Program (see "Additional Information" below).

Driver Awareness
The four hour Driver Awareness class is available to students at least 15 years and 6 months of age. Completion of the class allows students to obtain an Instruction Permit before they reach 16 years of age. Participants may choose to take the Permit test at the completion of the course for no additional charge.

Alive at 25 Parent Program
The three hour class informs parents of the risks of teen driving based on solid, scientific evidence. In addition, it provides pracitcal advice about ways to reduce that risk and encourages preent-teen cooperation and involvement.

Course Schedules

Partnering With Parents
Partnering With Parents classes are offered according to the below schedule.

  • Tuesday, September 1, 2009 - Skyline High School, Room Lyceum - 6:30 to 7:30 PM
  • Tuesday, November 10, 2009 - Skyline High School, Room Lyceum - 6:30 to 7:30 PM
  • Tuesday, February 23, 2010 - Skyline High School, Room Lyceum - 6:30 to 7:30 PM
  • Tuesday, May 11, 2010 - Skyline High School, Room Lyceum - 6:30 to 7:30 PM

Driver Education
Driver Education classes are offered according to the below schedule. Students are permitted to attend classes on different days and at different locations. However, all enrolled students must complete all 30 hours of classroom instruction in order to be in compliance with State law.

  • Fall 2009
    Mondays, September 7 - November 9
      Erie High School, 2:30 pm - 5:30 pm
      Erie High School, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
      Frederick High School, 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm
      Longs Peak Middle School, 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm
      Lyons High School, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
     
    Tuesdays, September 8 - November 10
      Niwot High School, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
      Silver Creek High School, 2:30 pm - 5:30 pm
      Silver Creek High School, 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm
     
    Wednesdays, September 9 - November 11
      Longmont High School, 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm
      Niwot High School, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
      Skyline High School, 2:45 pm - 5:45 pm
     
    Thursdays, September 10 - November 12
      Mead High School, 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm
     
  • Winter 2010
    Mondays, November 16, 2009 - February 22, 2010
      Erie High School, 2:30 pm - 5:30 pm
      Erie High School, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
      Frederick High School, 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm
      Longs Peak Middle School, 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm
     
    Tuesdays, November 17, 2009 - February 23, 2010
      Niwot High School, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
      Silver Creek High School, 2:30 pm - 5:30 pm
     
    Wednesdays, November 18, 2009 - February 24, 2010
      Longmont High School, 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm
      Lyons High School, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
      Skyline High School, 2:45 pm - 5:45 pm
     
    Thursdays, November 19, 2009 - February 25, 2010
      Mead High School, 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm
     
    * Winter Classes do not meet the week of Thanksgiving Break and are not held Dec 15th, 2009 through January 6th, 2010. Classes resume the week of Jan 11th.
     
  • Spring 2010
    Mondays, March 1 - May 10
      Erie High School, 2:30 pm - 5:30 pm
      Erie High School, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
      Frederick High School, 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm
      Longs Peak Middle School, 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm
     
    Tuesdays, March 2 - May 11
      Niwot High School, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
      Silver Creek High School, 2:30 pm - 5:30 pm
      Silver Creek High School, 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm
     
    Wednesdays, March 3 - May 12
      Longmont High School, 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm
      Lyons High School, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
      Niwot High School, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
      Skyline High School, 2:45 pm - 5:45 pm
     
    Thursdays, March 4 - May 13
      Mead High School, 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm
     
    * Spring Classes do not meet the week of Spring Break.
     
  • Summer 2010
    Monday - Thursday, June 1 - June 16
      Location TBA
      2 classes available: 8 am - 11 am, 5 pm - 8 pm
      Class begins on a Tuesday and ends on a Wednesday
    Monday - Thursday, June 15 - June 30
      Location TBA
      1 pm - 4 pm
      Class begins on a Tuesday and ends on a Wednesday
    Monday - Thursday, July 6 - July 21
      Location TBA
      2 classes available: 8 am - 11 am, 1 pm - 4 pm
      Class begins on a Tuesday and ends on a Wednesday
    Monday - Thursday, August 2 - August 17
      Location TBA
      4 pm - 7 pm
      Class ends on a Tuesday

Driver Awareness
Beginning in September 2009, Driver Awareness classes are offered every third Thursday of the month from 4:15 pm - 8:30 pm (enrollment must be sufficient to offer class). Classes are held at the Career Development Center (1200 South Sunset Street, Longmont, CO).

Alive at 25 Parent Program
The program is offered 2 times over the next school year, from 6 - 9 pm in the Lyceum at Skyline High School:

    October 12, 2009
    April 12, 2010

Course Costs

The District's Driver Education Program is self funded. This means that the program is supported through fees collected from enrolled students. Payment (if applicable) is due at the first session. Checks should be made payable to Driver Education. Credit cards cannot be accepted, only cash and check are accepted.

Partnering With Parents
There is no fee for the Partnering With Parents class.

Driver Education
The fee for Driver Education classes is $350. Payment is due at the first session. Checks should be made payable to Driver Education.

As a financial benefit for completing Driver Education, eighty-five percent of the insurance companies operating in Colorado offer a reduction in their rates.

The Driver Education course is able to maintain competitive rates due to corporate support from Hajek Chevrolet and Valley Nissan/Subaru.

Driver Awareness
The fee for the Driver Awareness class is $50 (enrollment must be sufficient to offer class).

Alive at 25 Parent Program
The fee for the Alive at 25 Parent Program is $20.

Learner's Permits & Driver's Licenses

The minimum age for obtaining a Learner's Permit is 15 years old, provided that the student has completed a 30 hour Driver's Education class. Students who complete the Driver Awareness class can obtain a Learner's permit as early as 15 years 6 months of age. Students who do not complete either course cannot apply for a Learner's Permit until 16 years of age.

A Learner's permit must be held at least 12 months before applying for a Colorado Driver's License. Learner's Permit holders must complete and log 50 hours of supervised driving before applying for a Colorado Driver's License. To apply for a Colorado Driver's License at age 16, the completion of a certified Driver Education Program is required.

Additional Information

For additional information about the Driver Education Program, questions related to any Driver Education course, or to register for a specific course, please contact the Driver Education Program by phone at (720) 494 - 3960.

St. Vrain Valley School District  •  395 South Pratt Parkway  •  Longmont, Colorado 80501        (303) 776 - 6200