STUDENT & PARENT HANDBOOK - Stokes County Schools

Driver Education and Driver Eligibility
Driver education is offered at each of the three traditional Stokes County high schools and is
scheduled before and after school hours and during the summer. No driver education classes are
held during the school day. Eligible students must be at least 14.5 years of age. The driver
education program at each school consists of 30 hours of classroom instruction and six hours of
behind-the-wheel instruction. Check with the driver education instructor at your student’s high
school for information about when classes are held. Students at Meadowbrook School and the
Stokes County Early College High School may take Driver’s Education at the school that is most
convenient for them.
Upon satisfactory completion of both the classroom and behind-the-wheel instruction, students
receive a Driver Eligibility Certificate. Students who are between the ages of 15 and 18 must
present the Driver Eligibility Certificate to the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles in
order to obtain a learner’s permit.
Because North Carolina believes safe driving requires a combination of instruction in driving
and experience, driving privileges are granted first on a limited basis and then expanded under
the following graduated system:
Limited Learner’s Permit
Students who are at least 15 years of age but less than 18 years of age may obtain a limited
learner’s permit after passing a driver education course, obtaining the Driver Eligibility
Certificate, and passing the written test administered by the NC division of Motor Vehicles. The
limited permit allows the holder to drive between the hours of
5:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. for the first six months after the permit is issued. The student’s parent or
guardian must be seated beside the permit holder while the vehicle is in motion.
Limited Provisional License
Once the student is 16 years of age but less than 18 years of age, he may obtain a limited
provisional license if he meets the following conditions:
Has held a limited learner’s permit for at least 12 months;
Has not been convicted of a motor vehicle moving violation or seat belt infraction during
the preceding six months;
Passes a road test administered by the Division of Motor Vehicles;
Has a Driver Eligibility Certificate or a high school diploma or its equivalent;
The limited provisional license authorized the license holder to drive without supervision
between 5:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. and with supervision at any time.
Full Provisional License
A student who is at least 16 years of age but less than 18 years of age may obtain a full
provisional license once he has held the limited provisional license for at least six months so long
as the person has not been convicted of a motor vehicle moving violation or seat belt infraction
during the preceding six months and has a Driver Eligibility Certificate or a high school diploma
or its equivalent.
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