PANAMA CITY — Drivers education is not offered by Bay District Schools, and two students want to change that.
Eleventh graders Julia Kady and Gabriel Phelps, who attend Rutherford High and Arnold High respectively, spoke during the public comments section of Tuesday’s Bay District School Board meeting about drivers education being offered at schools.
“I believe drivers education is a good thing to have in school,” Phelps said.
He said a lot of his friends have had consequences from texting and driving.
To fund drivers education, Phelps said a $5 fee could be attached to traffic infractions. The fee would have to be approved by the County Commission, and Kady and Phelps plan to meet with commissioners individually.
“I think it’s a great idea,” Superintendent Bill Husfelt said.
Kady and Phelps are in Junior Leadership Bay, a student leadership program under the Bay County Chamber of Commerce. The proposal to bring drivers education back is a community project, which must be done every year by students in Junior Leadership Bay to graduate from the program.
Currently drivers education is only available through the private sector and is not offered through Bay District Schools, Bay County Chamber of Commerce Vice President Elizabeth Smith said.
School Board Chairman Steve Moss said he believed drivers education stopped being offered in 2009 for financial reasons. Husfelt said without the funding in place Bay District Schools could not offer drivers education.
Students were very cognizant of the dangers involved in auto accidents and Kady and Phelps were sincere in addressing the issue, Husfelt said.
“We are proud that our Junior Leadership Bay participants are pursuing drivers education in the school system,” said Bay County Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Carol Roberts. “All too often our young drivers are obtaining permits and licenses without any real experience behind the steering wheel.”
In other action at the meeting: Serena Dee Latiolais, community liaison for the Interfaith Harmony Council of Bay County, requested the Bay District School Board appreciate diversity by having opening invocations apply to additional faith traditions. Latiolais said the current invocations are based in a Christian tradition.
- Gregory Dossie invited the School Board to a Saturday awards banquet. The banquet will honor notable African-American Panama City natives, with civil rights attorney Amir Whitaker scheduled as the guest speaker.
- Jerry Register, District 1 seat for the Bay District School Board, said he did not think the teacher and administrator appraisal system manuals would make better teachers, calling the manuals "too verbose." Register was the only board member to vote against approving the manuals for the 2014-2015 school year.