Driver Education Classroom (+ Behind-the-Wheel) In-Person

Welcome to this exciting time in your teen’s life! Detroit Lakes Community Education offers driver education training in the summer and throughout the school year. Tuition is $325. The fee includes 30 hours of classroom instruction and 6 hours of behind-the-wheel with a licensed instructor. Students MUST be 14 ½ before the start of class.

Program Information

• Tuition is $325 (due at the time of registration). Tuition includes 30 hours of classroom and 6 hours of behind-the-wheel training.
• MN law states students must be at least 14 years old to enroll in Driver's Education. However, it is recommended that students be at least 14½ to take the 30-hour classroom instruction to help ensure they retain the material before taking the permit (knowledge) test at the age of 15.
• When registering for drivers education, please DO NOT use your student's email. We must have the parent/guardian email attached to the registration.
• Attendance to all class meeting times is mandated by state law. If your student misses class, he/she will have to make up the day(s) missed, on our next available session. Community Education reserves the right to charge $32 per hour for make-up of missed classroom time.  Entry of the e-Card will not be submitted until classes are made up. 
• One-on-one behind the wheel training is typically scheduled 6-8 weeks before a student plans to take their driving (road) test. BTW training is scheduled directly with the instructors to fit student and instructor schedules. When ready to schedule with an instructor, please call Carrie at 218-847-4418, #6102.  Cancellations must be made at least 12 hours before the scheduled driving time or you may be charged an additional $32.

Below is a copy of the parent/student agreement for your reference. 

• Driver Education Parent/Student Program Agreement
  30 hours of classroom attendance is mandated by state law. If you feel you will not be able to attend all classes in this session, please let our office know and we will schedule you for a future session. Community Education reserves the right to charge $32 per hour for
  make-up of missed classroom time. 

• Students who withdraw from the classroom session after class has started will forfeit $75 of their tuition.

• New e-Card System: The Minnesota Department of Public Safety has launched an e-Card system for driver's education, replacing the physical "blue" and "white cards". Students and parents will no longer need to track paper cards. Once students have completed the classroom time, including attendance to all hours and coursework, they will be added to the e-Card system showing they have completed the class and be eligible to take a learner’s permit test. Please allow ONE week day in between students finishing up the class and the scheduled permit test. This allows our office time to enter students into the e-Card database. Once the student has been successfully entered, you will receive an email confirmation from MN_DPS.
  . 
• Students are eligible to take their driving test at age 16, after holding their learner’s permit for at least 6 months, completing a supervised driving log, and completing 6 hours of behind-the-wheel training. Students who do not show up for a scheduled BTW appointment will be charged $32. Cancellations must be made at least 12 hours before the scheduled driving time or you may be charged an additional $32.

Discipline Policy
We expect all students to be courteous and respectful of others and to maintain a positive attitude towards self, teachers and fellow classmates. If students are being disruptive or off-task (that includes internet searches not related to driver education);
1st offense; verbal warning from the instructor.
2nd offense; the student's parent will be contacted, (via text message) and the parent must respond.
3rd offense; student will be dropped from the class permanently.  

All cell phones MUST be placed in the cell phone caddy.  Students will receive it back at the end of class. 

What if I took the 30-hour classroom instruction elsewhere, and not with Detroit Lakes Community Education?
Families who did not register and pay for the classroom training directly through Detroit Lakes Community Education can enroll in our behind-the-wheel program. If your child completed the 30 hours driving training in another community or an approved online organization, students can complete the behind-the-wheel with us.   If your student wishes to receive the behind-the-wheel locally with us, you can do so by providing a copy of the Letter of Completion to our office indicating the training has successfully been completed.