COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho — Parents in Coeur d’Alene will now have to take the wheel and teach their teens to drive after the CDA School District voted to eliminate its driver’s education program Monday night.
The decision forces families to choose between paying for expensive private instruction or taking advantage of a state law that allows parents to teach driving themselves. Until now, families could enroll in the district’s program for about $275.
In 2024, Idaho lawmakers passed House Bill 531, which permits parents in rural areas or districts without driver’s education programs to teach their children to drive for a fee between $75 and $100. However, the law includes a restriction: if a district offers driver’s education, parents cannot choose the less expensive parent-led option.
“We don’t want to take options away. And the folks that potentially need that savings the most, to take away $75 away from them just doesn’t feel right to me,” said Jimmy McAndrew, a CDA school board trustee.
The district said financial pressures made the program unsustainable. If the district had continued offering driver’s education, it would have needed to raise fees to $405 per student to cover costs, a similar cost to private driver’s education courses in Kootenai County.
“We realize by offering that to drivers and keeping that option for those couple hundred students that that takes away the option for them to do it themselves and only have to pay the $75 class fee,” said Superintendent Shon Hocker.
Additionally, the district said its program could only accommodate 200 students, creating added limitations for families seeking instruction.
Parents have expressed mixed reactions to the change on social media platforms. Some appreciate the flexibility of the new parent-led option, while others worry about potential safety concerns if inexperienced instructors teach driving skills.
The elimination of the program affects families differently depending on their teenagers’ ages. In Idaho, driver’s education is not required for students who wait until age 17 to get their licenses, providing another alternative for families.
School board trustee Heather Tenbrink suggested the decision could be reversed if problems arise.
“If six months from now, we think that was a mistake, we just restart it. I mean, then we’re still where we are now. We’ll have to hire an instructor and hopefully get a donated car or purchase a car,” Tenbrink said.
The move reflects a broader trend across the United States, where many states are shifting toward parent-led driver education options. However, neighboring Washington state continues to maintain strict guidelines for driving courses.
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