UCPS's Driver Education Program

https://sites.google.com/a/ucps.k12.nc.us/driver-education/home

Union County Public Schools (UCPS) offers a Driver Education Program. Each UCPS Driver Education course involves 30 hours of online classroom work via modules in the Canvas platform and a minimum of 12 hours of Behind the Wheel instruction in a UCPS Driver Education vehicle (6 hours driving and 6 hours observing). Students must have access to the Internet to take the online course. There are 8 modules that open every-other-day, except for weekends or holidays during the scheduled course. Modules are to be completed outside of the regular school day. The Driver Education online course is usually 3 weeks in length and will take 30 hours to complete. Behind the Wheel instruction usually occurs 2-3 months after the passing of the final exam and vision screening. The order is determined by date of birth. Older students will be contacted first. Parents and students will be contacted by a UCPS Driver Ed Instructor via phone call, email, and/or text. They WILL NOT be contacted by social media.

Enrollment in the UCPS Driver Education program is open to any student who attends a public, private, charter, or home school registered in Union County and meets the eligibility requirements.

In order to be eligible to enroll in UCPS’s Driver Education Program, an individual must meet the following requirements:

~Attend a high school (public, private, charter, or home school) registered in Union County. Middle School students who are attending a public, private, charter, or home school registered in Union County ARE eligible to take Driver Education as long as they are 14 ½ years old on the first day of class and meet the other requirements. Residency in Union County does not determine Driver Education enrollment eligibility; the county in which the registered school (that the student attends) is in is the determining factor.

~Be 14 ½ on the first day of class. A student 18 or older who attends school in Union County is eligible for the classroom portion but must secure a Learner’s Permit from DMV before they are eligible to complete the Behind the Wheel/driving portion of the course.

~Have not previously enrolled in the UCPS (or in any school district in NC) Driver Education program.

If a student lives in Union County, but attends school (public, private, charter, and home school) outside the county, the student is NOT eligible to receive Driver Education instructional (classroom and/or behind-the-wheel) training in Union County Public Schools. UCPS has an American's with Disabilities Act, ADA, accommodation process in place. If an accommodation is needed to complete either portion of the program, contact the UCPS Drivers Education Coordinator to begin the interactive process.

UCPS’s Driver Education Course Registration is completed online and is a two-step process. There is a $65 registration fee that is due when registering for the UCPS Driver Education class. Please read all online registration directions completely. There are registration date parameters and capacity restrictions. Enrollment in the online course may be limited due to the number of students waiting to for the Behind the Wheel portion of Driver Ed. Students that attend a Union County Public School may only register for the Driver Education course for the school they are enrolled and attend (Ex. A student enrolled at SVHS may only register and take Driver Ed through SVHS). Students who attend a private, charter, or home school registered in Union County may only register for "Home School", “Other” (for charter or private), or “Union Academy,” if applicable. If any school/site has reached registration-capacity, another school/site cannot be chosen.

Families/students may contact a private company at their own expense.

The "Handbook" tab at the top of this page is a great resource for general information about the UCPS Driver Education Program.

For Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and answers, click https://docs.google.com/document/d/12u1RCWxZFYLq8ZCrji2yZA4bcjScj8MkE9HHBN3wXxQ/edit?usp=sharing

Click here for Learner Permit Information https://docs.google.com/document/d/16zJVPIrIItq40c1PluOYUEPUpHuVGgbNQfyYdvJ6JFc/edit?usp=sharing 

Thank you,

Lindsay Jones, Driver Education Coordinator

Union County Public Schools Administration and Operations Department

721 Brewer Drive (Technology Services-side)

Monroe, NC 28112

Lindsay.jones@ucps.k12.nc.us

704-219-3215 (Google Voice/Cell)

In compliance with federal law, Union County Public Schools administers all educational programs, employment activities and admissions without discrimination against any person on the basis of gender, race, color, religion, national origin, age, or disability.