Background Info

Safety Education is the classroom version of Driver Education and is offered as a required class at Apple Valley High School; this course also covers CPR as part of the curriculum.  To earn a permit before age 18 the state requirement is that each student must have 30 hours of face-to-face classroom time, or at least 15 hours completed and be on the way to completing 30 before taking the permit test.  After earning a permit the state requirement is that each student must drive 6 hours with a Licensed Driver Education Instructor and we typically do this in three 2-hour block times (or 1-hour blocks as needed) after school, on weekends, and during the summer.  Students are also required to drive and log 50 additional hours (15 at night) with a responsible supervising driver, most likely a parent or guardian, before getting a license. 

Students are enrolled in Safety Education by the AVHS Counseling Department during the trimester they turn 15 years old, so most students are 9th or 10th graders with an occasional 11th or 12th grader in class.  Students with summer birthdays can be enrolled in the spring before they turn 15 or in the fall after, it depends on preference and academic ability although it is best to take the permit test during or just after they complete the classroom portion as the material will be fresh.  

The cost of our behind-the-wheel program is $325 and this MUST BE PAID prior to taking the permit test.  MN law states that a potential driver “must be enrolled in behind-the-wheel instruction”, paying the $325 indicates enrollment and allows the student to take the permit test.  This $325 pays for 6 hours of behind-the-wheel with a licensed instructor and 2 attempts at the permit test.  (The cost is $10 per test after 2 failed attempts)  If a student plans to complete behind-the-wheel with a different driving school (other than AVHS), Mr. Scanlon will issue a classroom completion letter (per request) to the student at the end of the trimester per request.  The student will need to take the completion letter to their chosen driving school and get further instruction there.