Student drivers exit a drivers education car to switch who is driving. The students are completing their instructed driving through the Blue Ridge Driving School.
During COVID the drivers education program at Watauga was brought to a halt. After it was reopened, the program became completely backed-up, and now a year after the reopening students are still waiting to complete the driving portion of the program.
To gain a driving permit in North Carolina students must have completed a classroom portion, as well as a driving portion before going to the DMV to take a final test. In the past year not only has the driving portion been overwhelmed with students who need their hours but, the classroom portion of the class has been incredibly difficult to get into as well.
High school is a time where students are ready to gain independence and a major part of that is getting a driver's license. Duri Womack is a 10th grader at Watauga and is one of the students who has been caught in the backlog.
¨I had tried to get into drivers ed since freshman year and only got into it now because we emailed them to let them know how long I'd been trying to get in,¨ Womack said.
The backlog of students here in Watauga has caused many to go to private driving schools. Although quicker, the private driving schools charge a hefty amount. Vivian Rushing is a sophomore at Watauga.
¨I've thought about [a private driving school] it because I still haven’t done the driving part of my class,¨ Rushing said, ¨ I don’t want it to drag out any longer, it would just be easier to go somewhere else.¨
High school is a stressful time that involves many extracurriculars and it can be difficult to see your classmates who were able to attend a private driving school getting their permits and even licenses while you are left behind.
¨It's been annoying and frustrating waiting so long and seeing all of my friends already getting their licenses,¨ Sophomore Olivia Beasley said.
Many students have similar feelings of being left behind in comparison to their peers. Still others feel bad about not helping out their family when they can.
¨I can’t drive myself to extracurricular activities, can’t help my family out, and miss out on events,¨ Rushing said.
Raelin Nolan is a sophomore at Watauga, who has not yet taken the drivers ed classroom portion, due to the inability to get into the Watauga class.
¨Knowing that I won't get my license until I am almost 17 provides a lot of stress,¨ Nolan said.
Students who have been caught up in the post-COVID backlog feel fed up with waiting, and never getting anywhere.
¨I completed the online class in December and January, but I've been on the waiting list for the driving portion ever since,¨ Beasley said. ¨So, I'm now taking the private driver's ed,¨
Stephen Martin, Assistant Superintendent in Watauga county, oversees the driving program for the district. However the driver's education program at Watauga is run by a contracted company called the NC Driving School
¨There is no fee for Watauga County students for the driver education coursework and behind the wheel training,¨ Martin said.
Unlike some schools, Watauga offers the drivers ed program completely for free. Private drivers ed programs though can cost hundreds of dollars. Many families try the free option but then feel they must turn to the private version to obtain their permit on time.
¨Behind the wheel training was halted for several months, some of the driver education instructors took other positions as there was no work for them during this time with driver education,¨ Martin said.
The low number of qualified driving instructors has caused the system to remain blocked. The shortage of instructors and the effects of it have discouraged many from going through the school, so now large numbers of students are going to private driving programs.
Randy Rhodes is the owner of the Blue Ridge Driving School, in Wilkes County. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Rhodes has seen an uptick in students from Watauga County.
The Blue Ridge Driving School is the private alternative that many students turn to for drivers ed. To complete the classroom portion and the driving portion through the private school you must pay $350.
Over the past year due to COVID, and related backups have driven more students to travel off the mountain, to complete their driving.
“Yes it certainly played a part [COVID] in the increased enrollment, a lot of it because the schools are so limited with the ability to teach the class and do the road work,” Rhodes said.
¨I completed the online class in December and January, but I've been on the waiting list for the driving portion ever since,¨ Beasley said. ¨So, I'm now taking the private driver's ed,¨
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