By Jeff Simmons, IDLA Superintendant
One of the new laws on the books as of July 1, 2024 (H 531) allows parents to serve as the in-car instructor for their students as long as the student completes the IDLA classroom portion of the course. In this blog post, I’ll break down this law and share what families interested in this opportunity need to do. You can find more information about Driver’s Ed opportunities through IDLA on our website.
H 531 allows a student’s parent to be the in-car driving instructor for students in a rural district or a school district that does not currently offer Driver’s Education. “Rural” is defined in the Idaho Code as a district with less than 20 students per square mile or a district with less than 25,000 residents. The Idaho Department of Education maintains a list of public schools offering Driver’s Education on their website. If you need help determining if your student qualifies for this opportunity, contact the Driver’s Education contact on the Department of Education website.
Contacting your local school is the next step if you are a qualifying family. Each school that IDLA partners with has a “Site Coordinator.” The Site Coordinator is the individual at the school who can register students in our program. They will guide you through the registration process, which typically involves filling out a form and paying the course fee. The Site Coordinator can also share their district policy on course fees. IDLA does bill each school a $75 course for each student enrolled in one of our courses. Each school handles these course fees differently, so this is an excellent question to ask when talking to your Site Coordinator.
From there, your student must complete both the classroom portion of Driver’s Ed with IDLA and the driving portion behind the wheel with you. The Department of Education has information about completion requirements on its website. What you should expect from IDLA is regular contact with your child’s teacher. Our teachers communicate regularly throughout each course to help students stay on track and ensure they understand the course material. You’ll receive regular progress reports, emails, and phone calls. Be sure to check out our new Parent App, as well! The Parent App is a great way to help monitor your child’s progress and support them. You can find the Parent App in the Apple App Store or Google Play by searching “IDLA Portal.”
Parents who homeschool or send their students to a private school still qualify for this program. First, review the eligibility criteria above (you live in a rural community or your local district does not offer the program). Next, you’ll still need to contact the Site Coordinator at your local public school to enroll. It is important for us that we partner with your local school to service your child. Each course we provide to a student is done so in partnership with the local school, as they can provide important pieces of the learning experience we are unable to provide in a virtual environment.
I have spoken to several of our homeschooled families this summer who don’t want to enroll through their local public schools. I appreciate the perspective each of you has shared with me. The way in which IDLA serves homeschooled students is an ongoing conversation with our Board. I will share what you and others have shared with us with our Board. Our goal is to ensure our Board has a complete perspective when making decisions about how we serve students through our program.
We’d like to thank those who can use this opportunity to support your child’s learning! Driver’s Education is a course that teaches a critical life skill, and it is a great (although potentially high-stress) opportunity to spend some time investing in your child. If you have more questions about this opportunity, please contact me! I’d love to talk to you. My contact information is below:
Jeff Simmons
(208) 994-4988
