SMITHFIELD – Johnston County Public Schools announced this week that some summer athletic workouts would be allowed to resume beginning on July 6th. The story prompted a number of parents to contact Johnston County Report asking about the status of driver education classes. We contact JCPS officials and asked when students might be able to complete the course.
JCPS released a statement to us saying, “HB 158 allows our students who completed 15+ hours of driver education class instruction (prior to school closures) to be done with the classroom portion of the course. JCPS is currently working on a plan to safely allow students, who did not complete at least 15 hours of class time, to take their proficiency exam at their school. This proficiency exam is optional for students who do not want to wait for driver education classes to resume to complete their classroom requirement. If students pass this exam, they will be finished with the classroom portion. Students are still required to complete six hours of Behind the Wheel instruction.”
“JCPS is preparing for when we can resume teaching this portion of the course. In the Department of Public Instructions’ Lighting the Way Forward document, it specifies that Behind the Wheel Instruction is only permitted on Plan A and Plan B, not on Plan C. JCPS is waiting for more guidance on when we can resume, while reviewing the plan A and plan B requirements so that we can be ready when the time comes.”
Last week, JCPS announced that they are considering three possible reopening plans for the 2020-2021 school year, including three possible scenarios, identified as Plans A, B and C. Governor Cooper is expected to announce how schools will reopen as early as July 1st. If schools are allowed to reopen in Johnston County, traditional and restart schools will open August 17th. The Early College and Career & Technical Leadership Academy will begin on August 3rd.
