Partners for Safe Teen Driving
Some driver education students under age 18 (including current and graduated homeschoolers) are required to attend a 90-minute Partners for Safe Teen Driving presentation along with their parents.
- This additional component is required by law for all teens and parents residing in Planning District 8, which includes Alexandria City, Arlington County, Fairfax County, Fairfax City, Loudoun County, Manassas City, Manassas Park, and Prince William County.
- In March 2018, SB 126 was passed, which expanded this component to the whole state, and permits any school division, at the discretion of each local school board, to offer it as part of its driver education curriculum. If a school board/district decides to implement the program, it will be considered a requirement for parents/students to participate. This law will go into effect on July 1, 2018.
The Partners for Safe Teen Driving presentation includes safety presentations and videos, and prepares parents and teens for the in-car/behind-the-wheel course as well as the required 45-hour component. At the end of the presentation, the attending parent/guardian and student are required to sign an Affirmation of Attendance, DTS-90, to acknowledge completion of the required 90-minute component.
Partners for Safe Teen Driving is only available through the public schools, private schools, and driver training schools which offer classroom instruction. It is not included in any approved correspondence school courses.
If you take the classroom component of driver education through an online approved correspondence school course, you have the following options:
- Take the Partners for Safe Teen Driving program online via the 90 Minute Parent Teen website.
- Take the Partners for Safe Teen Driving program through a local public or private school. You may be able to attend the same program as your public schooled neighbors, or you may be sent to a separate session for homeschooled and private schooled students. Locations, schedules, and fee policy varies greatly, so call your local school division for information.
- Take the Partners for Safe Teen Driving program though Fairfax County Public School’s Adult Community Education (ACE) program. This particular program is open to all homeschooled and private schooled families, both inside and outside Fairfax County and is offered over the summer.
Some school divisions are allowing homeschooling families to participate in this program for free, while others are charging fees of up to $30 per family. Contact your local school division for more information.
There is no minimum age for attending Partners for Safe Teen Driving. Most participating attendees are in 10th grade or are aged 15 and 6 months or older.
Teens over age 18 are not required to take Partners for Safe Teen Driving.
If this program is required in your area, it must be completed before the student may begin the in-car/behind-the-wheel driver education component (either through a parent or a school).
The program is intended to be an integral part of the classroom component of driver education.
This law, when first passed in 2009, originally created much confusion in Northern Virginia, and each school division created a slightly different policy for homeschooling families regarding admittance, locations, fees, etc. Several school divisions had not made any provision for homeschooled students at all. At the request of The Organization of Virginia Homeschoolers, legislation was passed in 2011 to require school divisions to make this required program available to homeschooling families.
This information is provided as a courtesy of The Organization of Virginia Homeschoolers. It is not intended as legal advice. For legal advice, contact a licensed attorney.
VaHomeschoolers is a non-profit public charity with 501(c)(3) status; your donation is tax-deductible to the extent provided by law.