drivers ed policies

WENATCHEE DRIVING SCHOOL LLC

Policies, procedures, & EVERYTHING else

www.drivewenatchee.com

Considering Driver Education? Before enrolling, consider these factors:

 

• Age – A student must be 15 years of age by the first day of class.
  • Maturity– responsibility & attitude.

• Commitment: The course demands extra time beyond regular schedules.
• Finances– The course fee and testing fees. Payment plans are available by request.

• Transportation– to and from driver education classes and drives
• Commitment to completion- must complete Drivers Ed within 3 months of the last day of class.

Please take into consideration that this class will require extra time from the already busy teen schedule.  Additional time for behind-the-wheel lessons, outside reading, homework, and home driving practice with parent(s)/ guardian(s) will be required.  You will be required to follow through to successfully complete the course. 

 

Class Structure & Attendance:

• The course consists of 15 days of 2-hour classroom sessions and 6 1-hour long BTW instruction that run no less than 30 days and does not exceed 90 days. Expect drives to exceed past the class session dates but not past 90 days.
• Apart from make-up lessons, all students must be on the same lesson.
• Students will not be allowed to attend class if they are more than 5 minutes late.
• New enrollment won’t be allowed after the 3^rd day of class.
• No more than 3 absences allowed.  Students must make up the same lesson missed, or they will be dismissed from class. A private make-up class can be arranged with an instructor & costs $50.

 

What’s needed for class?

• Students must have their learners’ permit by the 3^rd day of class. Visit dol.wa.gov to pre-apply for a WDL#10 days before the first day of class.
• Pick up a WA Drivers Guide from the DOL or download a digital copy.
• Any type of folder and a writing utensil. We provide class packets/study guides and homework- students must bring the provided packets and homework sheets to class each day. Lost unit packets can be replaced for $1.

 

Electronics (cell phones/laptops/tablets)

 No phones are to be used in class or in the car. In class, students can check their phones during break. In case of emergency parents should call the office to contact their students.

 

Good Learning Behavior

Students are responsible for their own behavior. If asked to leave class because of your behavior, your parent must attend the next session with you. Dismissal from the course may occur due to repeated misbehavior, repeated distraction, excessive tardiness, willful violation of traffic laws, being under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or multiple failed tests during the course, cheating (sharing or receiving answers).

No refunds will be issued if a student is dismissed from class due to these issues.

 

 Parent Involvement

Parental involvement is incredibly important for the student’s success. The behind-the-wheel lessons are designed to complement the lessons being taught in the classroom. Families receive a course flow chart to help coordinate BTW lessons alongside classroom sessions. It’s important to understand that effective driving education requires more than 6 hours of instruction that WDS offers. Please aim to get about 30 minutes of driving practice every day while actively attending driver education. During the 6 months required to have a permit- students need to have 50 hours of supervised driving (10 of which being nighttime hours) are required by Washington State prior to receiving a driver’s license. If the student isn’t getting behind the wheel time and is unable to complete the tasks of each BTW lesson, parents will need to pay for additional drives in order for the student to move onto the next driving lesson. This can be avoided by practicing daily at home. Communication between the school and parents is highly valued, ensuring a collaborative approach to the student’s driving education journey and optimizing their learning experience. If schedules are too busy to find time to get driving practice at home, consider scheduling extra driving lessons with an instructor. Students may be dismissed from the course for violating program policies.

 

MANDATORY PARENT MEETING-First day of class- 1 hour This is a required meeting. The only families that end up frustrated with our program are the ones that don’t attend and/or do not read this information. 

 

Drivers Ed Tuition Payments

A $200 nonrefundable deposit is due at the time of registration to reserve a spot in class. The remaining balance is due on the first day of class. Please see our website for current pricing. Payment plans are available upon request. A $25 fee is due at the time of agreement to use this plan. Please discuss this with the instructor. Make checks payable to Wenatchee Driving School.  All debit/ credit cards will add 4% fee. Avoid this by paying by cash or check. The deposit will only carry over if the student changes classes prior to the course starting. Once the deposit is made on the class the permit waiver will be entered into the DOL Portal- and the student can then go to the DOL to get an instructional learners permit. The student must have the learners permit by the 3^rd day of class– if the student doesn’t have it by then- the student must re-enroll and pay a new deposit for the new class.

Payment plan schedule- WDS Payment Plan Contract must be signed to utilize payment plan

1^st payment-  $200 non-refundable deposit is due at the time of registration to reserve a spot in class.

2^nd payment- $200 payment due on the 6^th day of class.

3^rd payment- $175+ any remaining amount due on the 12th day of class. Any remaining balance due by the last day of class.

 

Payments must be made on time. If the payments aren’t received, the students scheduled drives will be cancelled and $50 cancellation fees will be added to the balance owed.

ADDITIONAL FEES THAT MAY BE INCURRED FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS

No show/ No permit/late cancellation fee/ balance not paid & drive needing to be cancelled: $50 

• When a student fails to show up for a scheduled drive or fails to cancel a drive appointment 24 hours prior to an absence, they will be charged a cancellation fee.  They will be required to pay the fee before (at least 48 hours) going on their next scheduled behind-the-wheel or it will be cancelled.

Unit Retake: $150 

• A Unit retake will cost $150.  You must stay in compliance.  

Continuation fee:  $50  

• Not having 3 drives done by the last scheduled day of class.  

Additional BTW lessons: $60 

• Students that are not capable of meeting basic skill benchmarks will be required to purchase additional lesson(s).  The cost of additional lessons costs $50.Please spend the time necessary to get students the practice they need to succeed.
• If the student doesn’t pass the final drive 6, a $30 fee will be due before a retake can be done to pass drivers ed.

Credit Card & Returned Check fees: 

• There is a 4% charge when paying with any card.
• There is a $30 fee for returned checks.

REFUND POLICY:  The enrollment deposit of $200 is nonrefundable. No refunds after the 3^rd day of class.  Half of the course fees are refundable if they withdraw by the 3^rd day of class.  Doctor documented medical causes and circumstances may be considered.

Classroom Overview:

A new unit packet and homework sheet will be handed out to students at the beginning of each unit. The cover page will list Homework; test days & sections of the Drivers Guide that needs to be read per unit.

The students are to take notes as they follow along with the class PowerPoints as the unit packets with class notes will serve as study guides for tests.

 Do not toss these packets until completely done with drivers ed.

Scoring for Homework & Tests:

 

Must pass with a score of 80% to successfully pass the course.

Read 2 sections of the WA Drivers Guide per unit as some answers for the homework will be out of the WDG.

Pick up a WDG from the DOL or download a digital copy at www.dol.wa.gov. 

• Homework due before Unit tests are handed out, cannot be redone; late submissions -2 points.
• Do not hand in homework until make-up day for the unit is complete.
• Unit tests 1-4 are 20 questions. Unit 5 is the final test and is 50 questions to pass drivers ed.

Students must complete all classroom sessions & 3 BTW Drives to take the final test.

• You can retake tests during regular office hours in our office.   You cannot retake a test the same day you have reviewed a failed test.  
• Students have 3 attempts to pass each unit test, failing on the 3^rd try requires retaking the entire unit. Unit retakes can be arranged with an instructor for $150.

If a student needs special accommodation, please notify WDS staff immediately. Do not wait until the end of the course.

Curriculum Schedule:

If the student is not finished with all course requirements by the last scheduled day of class, INCLUDING passing scores on ALL tests and an overall grade of 80% or higher, you must attend a driver education lesson (classroom or BTW) and complete all 6 drives within 3 months from the last day of class.  

It is the family’s responsibility to stay in touch with the driving school to stay in compliance. If the student is non-compliant for any reason beyond control.  Written documentation from a doctor or parent is required to continue training if the student becomes out of compliance.  Reasons that include, I didn’t have a ride, time, I forgot, sports practice, work, etc. are not acceptable excuses.   If you become two weeks out of compliance, and we have not heard from you – for any reason, an INCOMPLETE will be entered for the student in the DOL portal and the student will have to retake the course, along with the associated fees.

Behind-the-wheel (BTW) Overview

HOME PRACTICE SHEET:

The students are required to have a minimum of 12- 30-minute practice (total of 6 hours) sessions at home to reinforce what they learn in class and during BTW lessons. The student can drive with someone that has a valid driver’s license and has 5 years of licensed driving experience sitting in the front passenger seat. The practice sheet must be filled out correctly and signed off by the instructor before the student’s final drive evaluation.  The student cannot go on their final drive without this and will be charged a $50 “late cancellation fee.”

 

WA state requires 6 hours of BTW lessons- many driving schools take advantage of an alternative option of 5 hours, and 4 hours of classroom driving simulation 20 minutes per class day- a digital “video game” in class provided by AAA to replace the extra hour of drive per student. Wenatchee Driving School has opted to pass on the simulation due to the poor quality of the program and instead offer each student the extra hour behind the wheel which we feel is more beneficial for the parents and the student.

6 Behind the Wheel Lessons

 

5 1-hour Behind the Wheel Lessons -The instructor will fill in an evaluation after each drive.  Feel free to take a picture with your phone after the drive. Practice the skills you learn during your lesson at home. 

 

6^th drive is the final WDS Drivers Ed Drive Test Must passed with a score of 80%.  A retake is $25 (This is not the WA state drive test, but the test to pass Wenatchee Driving School Driver Ed) Please practice with your drivers to avoid a retake fee.

1 Observation drive is required to observe another student drive- State Requirement. Find out when a classmate is doing a drive & show up to observe that drive, no need to schedule this. Check with the instructor prior to showing up in case the student cancels.  

Scheduling Behind-the-Wheel (BTW) Lessons

 

You will schedule all drives on our website. At the very top of the site, www.drivewenatchee.com, you will see the STUDENT DRIVES button. Click on Book Now and select an instructor and the time that works for you. If you don’t see a time that works, contact the driving school.

If you need to cancel or reschedule a drive, you must do it at least 24 hours in advance to avoid a $50 cancellation fee by notifying the instructor via text/email. (The instructor will provide a cell phone number on the 1^st day of class)

• DON’T WAIT TO SIGN UP! There is a MANDATORY practice period between drives, a course flow chart is provided as a guide for scheduling drives after each week of class.

 

You must have 3 drives completed by the last day of class (state law).   If you have not completed the 3 drives, there is a charge to continue your training. 

 

Check in

Please show up at least 5 minutes early prior to your drive start time. Students must have their permits with them to drive. Temporary paper copy will work until you receive a hard copy in the mail. If you don’t receive a hard copy in the mail within 10 days, contact DOL.  A cancellation fee of $50 will be applied if-

No Shows, more than 5 minutes late, no permit or corrective lenses (if required on permit)

If you have a scheduled drive and the instructor isn’t there, please wait. Situations may occur where the instructor is delayed due to unforeseen circumstances occurring during a student drive.

 

No food in WDS vehicles.  Water is ok.

 

 

Wenatchee Driving School will electronically submit certificate of completion into the Department of Licensing system once all tests & drives have successfully completed and tuition payments have been.

WA State Intermediate license laws for teen drivers

 

If you’re under 18, you’ll be issued an intermediate driver’s license and must follow these laws:

 

Driving with Passengers

• First 6 months: No passengers under 20 years old, except for immediate family members (spouse, child, stepchild, or siblings, both by birth and marriage).
• Next 6 months: No more than 3 passengers under 20 years old who aren’t members of your immediate family.

Nighttime driving

For the first 12 months, you can’t drive between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. unless you’re with a licensed driver 25 years or older. The only exceptions are driving for agricultural purposes and transporting farm products or supplies under the direction of a farmer as described in RCW 46.20.070.

 

No cell phones 
You aren’t permitted to use wireless devices while driving, even with a hand–free device. This includes talking on cell phones and sending or receiving text messages. You may only use a wireless device to report an emergency.

These restrictions won’t apply after you turn 18 years old.

 

Penalties for violations and accidents

1^st  violation: Passenger and nighttime restrictions will apply until you’re 18. We’ll send a warning letter to you and your parents/guardian for the following: 

• Get a ticket for violating the restrictions.
• Get a ticket for violating the rules of the road.
• Are involved in an accident where:
• You get a ticket or are determined to have caused the accident.
• No one involved in the accident receives a ticket.
• The cause of the accident can’t be determined.
• Only your car was involved in the accident.

2^nd  violation: License suspended for 6 months (or until you’re 18, whichever comes first). We’ll notify you and your parent/guardian before we take any suspension action. 

 

3^rd  violation: License suspended until you’re 18. We’ll notify you and your parent/guardian before we take any suspension action. 

 

Warning letters and penalties until age 18

Once you’ve driven safely for 1 year the passenger and night-time driving restrictions expire, but the other violations will apply until you’re 18. 

 

If I have a license from another state, do the intermediate license laws apply to me? 
Yes. A teen with a valid out–of–state license must get an intermediate WA license and meet all the same requirements.

STATE REGULATION OF DRIVER TRAINING SCHOOLS

All driver training school programs are regulated and regularly audited by the Department of Licensing Driver Training Schools Program.  Schools must follow the laws that govern traffic safety in our state to continue to provide such programs.  We will go over this in the parent meeting and will provide you with a WDS Program Handbook that details our program.  If you have questions, do not hesitate to contact us. 

Information Driving Schools are required to provide to parents/ guardians of students. Please visit these links  below.

Click to access link to WAC 308-108-150 WA State Legislature Course requirements

Click to access link to RCW 46.20.075 WA State Legislature Intermediate license requirements