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Senate committee hears wide-ranging debate on two-year pilot to allow virtual instructor-led driver education
Summary
Supporters told the Senate committee virtual, instructor-led driver education would expand access and match pandemic-era outcomes; teachers and driving-school operators warned online classes reduce accountability and testing integrity. The committee held Senate Bill 832 for further study.
The Rhode Island Senate Committee on Special Legislation and Veterans Affairs heard competing testimony on Senate Bill 832, a proposal to authorize a two-year pilot allowing virtual instructor-led driver education as an optional alternative to in-person classroom courses.
The bill’s sponsor, Senator Lou DePalma, told the committee the measure would create a two-year pilot and require a report to the General Assembly assessing the pilot’s effectiveness and safety. "We are not looking to supplant that. We're looking to provide families and students an option," DePalma said.
Supporters, led by Mary Maguire, vice president of public and government affairs at AAA Northeast, said the virtual option increases access for students with scheduling, transportation or learning challenges and produced similar test scores during the pandemic. "During the pandemic, we taught almost 100 virtual classes to more than 2,300 Rhode Island students," Maguire said, noting AAA’s pre-pandemic classroom average…
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