GREENSBORO — Teens in Guilford County may get to register for driver’s education classes late this afternoon and not worry about paying a fee.
Schedules of staggered registration times may go online this morning, said Leigh Hebbard, who oversees driver’s education for the school system. The idea is to try to avoid overloading the website when registration reopens.
The exact times were not available Thursday night.
What is clear is Guilford County Schools will no longer charge a $65 fee for the classes.
The Guilford County Board of Education voted Thursday night to waive the fee, which it began charging families this summer amid uncertainty about whether state legislators would continue funding driver’s education. The board also agreed to a revised contract with the North Carolina Driving School.
Those who have already paid the fee could seek a refund through the driving school, Hebbard said. The driving school would then charge the school system for reimbursement, he said.
The program was suspended this summer when state funding ran out and state budget negotiations dragged on.
The General Assembly agreed on a budget last week and Gov. Pat McCrory signed it into law.
In the meantime, families waited anxiously for the classes to resume.
“These people have been checking the website all week long to try and register,” Hebbard said.
Priority for registration would likely go to those 15 or older, he said.
The driver’s education classes typically include about 50 students each. When registration restarts, 75 students may be allowed to sign up for each class but those who would not be 15 years old by the first day of classes would be weeded out and possibly put on a waiting list, he said.
Achievement, discipline disparities still a worry
In recent weeks, school board members and the broader community have discussed racial achievement gaps and disparities in student discipline. The conversation continued Thursday night when dozens of parents and some students packed into the school board meeting room.
Some parents have also repeatedly complained about the school system’s Exceptional Children Department, which serves students with disabilities.
The department is under a three-year improvement plan. Even with that, parents have repeatedly spoken out at board meetings about poor communication and school officials not adhering to the required individualized education plans for students, among other things.
Dozens of people in a group called Black Minds Matter protested over some of those issues outside of the school system’s central office before the meeting began.
According to school system data, black students have some of the lowest achievement rates as measured by standardized tests but have disproportionately high discipline rates.
Several of the parents who have complained to the board before said they still have gotten no response, no answers.
“We still do not have resolutions,” parent and advocate Lissa Harris, who is also co-founder of the organization Parents Sa upporting Parents, told the school board Thursday night. “We’re looking for you to dig deeper.”
“At the end of the day, we must stop looking at the numbers as if it’s just another year,” Harris said about the academic and discipline disparities.
One parent, Phyllis Goins, asked, “Are any of you listening to what we are saying?”
She described the Exceptional Children Department as “corrupt” and “incompetent” before asking when leaders will hold the department accountable.
“Our black children deserve to be educated, and one of these days you are going to be held accountable,” Goins told the board.
Schedules of staggered registration times may go online this morning, said Leigh Hebbard, who oversees driver’s education for the school system. The idea is to try to avoid overloading the website when registration reopens.
The exact times were not available Thursday night.
What is clear is Guilford County Schools will no longer charge a $65 fee for the classes.
The Guilford County Board of Education voted Thursday night to waive the fee, which it began charging families this summer amid uncertainty about whether state legislators would continue funding driver’s education. The board also agreed to a revised contract with the North Carolina Driving School.
Those who have already paid the fee could seek a refund through the driving school, Hebbard said. The driving school would then charge the school system for reimbursement, he said.
The program was suspended this summer when state funding ran out and state budget negotiations dragged on.
The General Assembly agreed on a budget last week and Gov. Pat McCrory signed it into law.
In the meantime, families waited anxiously for the classes to resume.
“These people have been checking the website all week long to try and register,” Hebbard said.
Priority for registration would likely go to those 15 or older, he said.
The driver’s education classes typically include about 50 students each. When registration restarts, 75 students may be allowed to sign up for each class but those who would not be 15 years old by the first day of classes would be weeded out and possibly put on a waiting list, he said.
Achievement, discipline disparities still a worry
In recent weeks, school board members and the broader community have discussed racial achievement gaps and disparities in student discipline. The conversation continued Thursday night when dozens of parents and some students packed into the school board meeting room.
Some parents have also repeatedly complained about the school system’s Exceptional Children Department, which serves students with disabilities.
The department is under a three-year improvement plan. Even with that, parents have repeatedly spoken out at board meetings about poor communication and school officials not adhering to the required individualized education plans for students, among other things.
Dozens of people in a group called Black Minds Matter protested over some of those issues outside of the school system’s central office before the meeting began.
According to school system data, black students have some of the lowest achievement rates as measured by standardized tests but have disproportionately high discipline rates.
Several of the parents who have complained to the board before said they still have gotten no response, no answers.
“We still do not have resolutions,” parent and advocate Lissa Harris, who is also co-founder of the organization Parents Sa upporting Parents, told the school board Thursday night. “We’re looking for you to dig deeper.”
“At the end of the day, we must stop looking at the numbers as if it’s just another year,” Harris said about the academic and discipline disparities.
One parent, Phyllis Goins, asked, “Are any of you listening to what we are saying?”
She described the Exceptional Children Department as “corrupt” and “incompetent” before asking when leaders will hold the department accountable.
“Our black children deserve to be educated, and one of these days you are going to be held accountable,” Goins told the board.
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