OKEECHOBEE – The Okeechobee High School Drivers Education has undergone some changes in recent years, Okeechobee County Superintendent of Schools told Okeechobee County Commissioners at their Nov. 15 meeting.

“I left the high school in 2019,” said Tedders, who was the OHS principal from 2014 to 2019. “At that point we still had cars. We’d get cars every year from Gilbert Chevrolet.

“In 2020, we had a national shutdown due to covid,” he continued.

After the pandemic, the school had no access to cars because there was a national car shortage.

From 2021 to 2023, schools were still under requirements about “social distances” to reduce transmission of the covid virus, Tedders explained.

“It made it nearly impossible to put multiple kids in cars,” he said.

“In 2023, construction began on new school building, using the space previously used for the driving course,” he said.

In addition, the software changed which meant they could not use the computer tablets for testing. “We have to use computer labs for testing,” Tedders said.

“Because we lost access to cars and driving lanes, we used simulators,” he said.

Currently OHS has two driving simulators and students in the driver’s ed program take turns using them.

“Our focus now is on the permit testing,” he said. The simulators provide 18 lessons that coordinate with the driver’s permit handbook.

Tedders said the driver’s ed program includes the 4-hour online drug and alcohol course that students must complete before they can apply for a learner’s permit.

Once they complete the drug and alcohol course and pass the written driver’s test, students receive a learner’s permit. Tedders said those under age 18 must wait a year after receiving their learner’s permit to test for their driver’s license.

During that year, they can drive under the supervision of an adult licensed driver who is over the age of 21. They must complete at least 50 hours of supervised driving within that year before taking the road test for their driver’s license.

Simulator hours cannot be used for the driver’s license, Tedders said. However, parents can sign off on the form, attesting that their child has completed a minimum of 50 hours of supervised driving.   

Tedders said the driver’s ed program saves the student the $25 fee for the cost of the learner’s permit.

He said in 2019, the last year the school had cars, there were 258 students in the driver’s ed class and 92% passed the driving test.

During the most recent school year, there were 214 students enrolled and 92% passed the test.

“Currently this year, we have 133 students enrolled in the program,” he added.

He said the simulators and computers are funded by the Driver Education Safety Trust Fund which was created by the Florida Legislature in the Dori Slosberg Driver Education Safety Act.  As provided by state law, this fund receives a $3 fee for every civil traffic penalty that is issued within the county to support driver's education programs in county public and non-public schools.

Tedders said the current driver’s ed teacher plans to retire after the 2024-2025 school year.

“We’ll have some decisions to make if we even offer the course,” Tedders continued. “If we want to go back to the driving course model, we won’t be able to do it on campus.”

“We know the community needs our young drivers to get some education,” he said. However, he said parents have some responsibility for teaching their kids to be good drivers.

 He said teens don’t have to take the driver’s ed class to get their learner’s permits. They can complete the online drugs and alcohol test and study the driver’s manual on their own and then take the written test at the driver’s license office.