Madrid-Waddington High School students have the privilege of enrolling in the Driver Education & Traffic Safety Course once they have reached the age of 16. Although a Learner's Permit or Driver's License is not necessary to take this course, students must have reached their 16th birthday by the first day of class. Students are encouraged to sign up early when planning their class schedules, as class size is limited, and enrollment is on a first come, first served basis.
Driver Education students are strongly encouraged to acquire their Learner's Permit prior to the start of Driver Ed, in order to gain important, additional driving experience outside of lab. New York State permit booklets are available at any DMV office, or by seeing Mrs. Stockwell.
This course consists of 2 phases: classroom and driving lab. A final, overall average of 65% is necessary to pass Driver Education, however, the student must achieve a classroom average of 65% (or higher), and a lab average of 65% (or higher), in order to receive the MV 285 certificate, formerly known as the Blue Card. The MV 285 may be used to sign up for a road test, to receive a full Operator's License at age 17, and to receive reductions on vehicular insurance.
New York State mandates that students receive 24 hours of classroom instruction, along with 24 hours of lab instruction in the Driver Ed car/van. Vehicular instruction consists of 18 hours observation time and 6 hours behind the wheel. Due to the above mandates, Driver Education has a strict attendance policy in place. No more than 5 classroom sessions and 5 lab sessions may be missed during the semester.
This course is taught by a teacher permanently certified in Driver Education and Traffic Safety, with 25 years of experience in this field.