DRIVER EDUCATION

Driver Education

Driver Education Driver Education Classroom Instruction

Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) provides driver education instruction to meet the Virginia requirements for students to receive their driver's license.

In tenth grade health and physical education (HPE II), each high school provides a minimum of thirty hours of classroom driver education instruction.

The Code of Virginia (22.1-205) requires students and their parent / guardian living in Planning District 8 which includes the counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William, and the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas, and Manassas Park, to participate in a 90-minute parent / teen presentation .

PWCS students and a parent / guardian are required to attend a meeting together as part of their classroom driver education course.

For more information on safe driving, please see

Important!

Both student and parent / guardian must attend a 90-minute teen driving safety program as part of the in-classroom portion of the driver education curriculum.

This meeting is only for PWCS students who are currently enrolled in HPE II or PWCS students who have completed HPE II. HPE I students are not eligible to attend this meeting .

This program requirement must be met before a student receives a Driver Education Certificate of Completion Card (DEC-District 8 card).

2021-22 90-Minute Parent / Teen Presentation

Please note : The 90-minute parent / teen driver education meetings scheduled will be held both virtually and in person this school year.

Meetings may have limited capacity. Students should attend the meetings offered at their school.

Please contact your student's HPE II teacher for additional information on upcoming for the 2021-22 academic school year.

Driver Education DEC-District 8 Completion Cards and TDL-180 Temporary Driver Licenses

Please contact your students school to obtain the student DEC-8 Completion Card and TDL-180.

Juvenile Licensing

For more information on juvenile licensing please scroll to the bottom of this webpage to view the 180-Day Provisional License section or visit the .

Behind-the-Wheel (Road / Range) Driver Education Program

Behind-the-wheel instruction provides approximately 14 hours of a combination of observational driving and driving in residential, open, and interstate roadways.

Contact your school's driver education coordinator for more information on behind-the-wheel class availability.

Click on the image below for the registration link. Please note you will not be able to schedule a behind-the-wheel class until or to the driver education coordinator at the school.

Driver Education Coordinator Information

School Coordinator Email Battlefield High School Kristina Link [email protected] Brentsville District High School Julie O'Neill oneillje@pwcs.

edu Charles J. Colgan Sr. High School Sandi Viggiani [email protected] Forest Park High School Lawrence Locke lockela@pwcs.

edu Freedom High School Frederick Hamn [email protected] Gainesville High School Samantha Donelan [email protected] Gar-Field High School Mickie Sullivan sullivma@pwcs.

edu Hylton High School Todd Hayes [email protected] Osbourn Park High School Rod Hodgson [email protected] Patriot High School Amy Dignan dignanam@pwcs.

edu Potomac High School Shanice Fuller [email protected] Unity Reed High School Chris Bailey [email protected] Woodbridge High School Meshailay Thomas thomasms@pwcs.

edu Obtaining A Learner's Permit

If the applicant is at least 15 years and six months old and under the age of 18, a learner's permit may be obtained at a Department of Motor Vehicles customer service center after fulfilling several requirements.

For details on the application and licensing process, go to the .

180-Day Provisional License

In order to receive a 180-Day Provisional License, the student must meet several Virginia requirements. Please click on the link below to read the requirements for the Juvenile Licensing Process in Virginia :

Teen Driving Restrictions

are not meant to penalize teen drivers, but to help them stay safe while they gain valuable driving experience. Studies have found that these restrictions work to reduce the number of car crashes among young drivers.

Curfew Restrictions

If you are under age 18, Virginia law prohibits you from driving midnight to 4 a.m. except when driving :

• to or from a place of business where you are employed;
• to or from an activity that is supervised by an adult and is sponsored by a school or by a civic, religious, or public organization;
• with a licensed spouse age 18 or older, a parent or other adult acting in loco parentis who is occupying the front passenger seat,
• in case of an emergency, including responding to emergency calls as a volunteer firefighter or rescue squad personnel.

Restrictions on the Number of Passengers

If you are under age 18, you may carry only one passenger under age 21, unless accompanied by a licensed parent, or other adult acting in place of a parent, in the front passenger seat.

However, after you have held your license for one year, you may carry up to three passengers under age 21 in the following situations :

• Travel to and from a school-sponsored activity;
• A licensed driver 21 or older is in the front passenger seat; or
• In case of an emergency.

Learner's permit holders may not carry more than one passenger under age 18.

Passenger restrictions do not apply to family members)

Violations of either the curfew or passenger restrictions can result in the suspension of your driver's license.

Cellular Telephone / Wireless Telecommunications Device Restrictions

Phone down; it's the law!

Beginning January 1, 2021, it is illegal for anyone to hold a handheld personal communications device (e.g., a smartphone) while driving a motor vehicle on Virginia's highways.

Please view and for additional information regarding the law. All motorists under the age of 18 are prohibited from using cellphones and other wireless telecommunication devices while driving.

Please view the for additional information regarding juvenile licensing restrictions.

For additional questions and information, please feel free to reach out to the Health, Physical Education, and Driver Education Program in the Office of Student Learning at 703-791-7270.

Driver Education Information and Resources

Mitigation Strategies for Driver Education in PWCS

Prince William students are returning to in-person learning, and that includes behind-the-wheel driver education. We take safety and mitigation seriously, and wanted to share what we are doing to keep our students and staff safe.

Before students get behind the wheel, we disinfect the interior of the vehicle using Oxivir spray disinfector. Our instructors pay extra attention to high touch areas, such as the steering wheel, dashboard controls, seat belts, door handles, and the key.

Weather permitting, windows will be down two inches to help with ventilation. Our cleaning and mitigation procedures are done after each student takes their turn behind the wheel.

Instructors will designate an outside student drop off and pickup area. The students will drop off their registration forms in a designated box.

Students will also maintain six feet from other students and instructors until in the car. Lessons and course expectations will be discussed outside the vehicle.

All students and instructors need to have a mask on, covering their nose and mouth, before, during, and exiting the vehicle.

Following these procedures will help keep our students and staff safe and on the road to learning.