W-L Behind the Wheel Program

Thanks for your interest in the Behind-the-Wheel program at Washington-Liberty!  Behind-the-Wheel is offered at no cost to students who have taken the classroom portion of Driver’s Education here at W-L.

In order to take Behind-the -Wheel here at W-L, students must meet the following requirements:

1. Have a current Learner’s Permit.
2. Completed the classroom portion of Driver’s Ed here at Washington-Liberty.
3. Attended a 90-Minute Parent Teen Safety Meeting (One parent must attend).
4. Completed the 45-hour practice log.
5. Have in their possession a pink DEC-8 card that was issued when they completed the classroom portion AND attended a 90-Minute meeting.
6. Signed parent permission form.
7. Complete the Behind the Wheel interest Form. **Student must be logged into their APS account**

Students will be prioritized based on their readiness to get their driver’s license (how long they have held their Learner’s Permit, if they have completed their 45-hour driving log, if they have attended a Parent-Teen Safety meeting, etc.).

Once we have availability for you to drive, we will contact you at the email address you provide on the Behind the Wheel Interest Form. You will be required to attend a Behind-the-Wheel meeting during Generals Period, at which point we will go over scheduling.  Driving sessions are offered after school from 3:20pm – 5:10pm.  Sessions are also offered some Saturday mornings from 8am – 9:50am, depending on the availability of driving instructors and school administrators.  Once the schedule is set, rescheduling can be done only on an emergency basis. Drives can only take place with two students in the car at a time, so if one student does not show up, it affects the other student and the ability of both students to get their driver’s license in a timely manner.  Not showing up for a session without notice will result in the student being removed from the Behind-the-Wheel program.

Students are required to attend seven driving/observing sessions.  Each session will consist of 50 minutes of driving and 50 minutes of observing another student driver.  The last session will include a road test that must be passed in order to be eligible for a Driver’s License.

After the seventh session, the student will be eligible for their temporary driver’s license (TDL-180) if the student has held their Learner’s Permit for at least nine months (state requirement).  A parent MUST be present at the end of the seventh session in order to issue the TDL-180.  If the student has not held their Learner’s Permit for nine months, the TDL-180 will not be issued until the nine-month requirement has been met.  This paper TDL-180 must be kept with the Leaners Permit to act as the Driver’s License.  The state of Virginia will mail the student their permanent Driver’s License within 6 months.

If you have questions about the Behind-the-Wheel program, please contact Adam Moir at [email protected], Bobby Ludwick at [email protected], or Josh Shapiro at [email protected].