October 14, 2003
HEY, MOM, CAN I HAVE A RIDE?:
Pawlenty proposes 'no school, no driving' plan (Norman Draper, October 14, 2003, Minneapolis Star Tribune)
High school dropouts and no-shows would have their driver's licenses suspended under a proposal announced today by Gov. Tim Pawlenty.Even students old enough to drop out of school legally would lose their licenses under the proposal. So would students who are absent more than 20 percent of the time for a quarter, semester or school year.
"Schools are being held accountable, but what do they do when students don't want to step up to the plate?" said Education Commissioner Cheri Pierson Yecke, who joined Pawlenty at the press conference. "I know it's a rite of passage. Getting that driver's license is an important part of being a teenager."
She said teachers have expressed concerns to her about poor student attendance and weak parental involvement in their children's education. This proposal would shift some of the accountability for doing well in school squarely to parents and students.
Pawlenty made the announcement at a press conference at the North Metro driver's exam station in Arden Hills.
He said 18 states have tried similar initiatives.
"The early returns from many of these states is that this has had a significant and positive effect," he said.
Most of these kids really shouldn't be in school, they should be out getting the menial jobs they'll spend their lives doing and which they'll need a car to get to, but it's an excellent idea in other areas. For instance, drug and alcohol offenses should be punished by loss of driving priveleges, Shame in their peer group will do more to rein kids in than any other weapon in society's arsenal. Posted by Orrin Judd at October 14, 2003 02:48 PM
Being underage (of 21, a ridiculous high figure) already costs you your license in Hawaii if you are caught with alcohol.
Doesn't seem to accomplish much, since driving without a license is not treated seriously either.
Posted by: Harry Eagar at October 14, 2003 03:24 PMThis is offensive to the members of an
older generation many of whom functioned quite
well with fragmented and incomplete formal
education.
If society demanded responsibility, law-abiding
but non-academic people would join the work force
and live dignified lives as did those generations.
JH:
That generation should lose their licenses when they turn 70.
Posted by: oj at October 14, 2003 04:35 PMAs the education commissioner said, teenagers consider the driver's license as a rite of passage.
Many of those kids who lose their licenses will continue to drive. The worst part of that is: they won't carry insurance. That's when it starts to affect you and me.
Posted by: John J. Coupal at October 14, 2003 05:15 PMNo insurance is a problem here, too.
Estimates are 30% go bare.
No point having a law if it isn't enforced.
Posted by: Harry Eagar at October 14, 2003 07:52 PMEnforce it.
Posted by: oj at October 14, 2003 08:41 PMThe new Premier of Ontario ran on a platform promising to force kids to stay in school up to age 18. Since when do we see schools as treatment centres for the deliquent and shiftless? I'm sure serious students will really appreciate being surrounded by lunkheads who are there for the sole purpose of maintaining a driver's license.
Social engineering madness.
Posted by: Peter B at October 15, 2003 06:01 AMWhat Peter said.
Posted by: Jeff Guinn at October 15, 2003 07:49 AMAgain the notion that non-academic people are
"lunkheads" shows how much we have internalized
the "anybody can accomplish anything". A
respectable alternative is needed.
JH:
Yes, we need to stop sending so many kids to college and not make them finish HS.
Posted by: oj at October 15, 2003 10:03 AMJ.H.
I don't disagree with you that "lunkheads" is an unfair slight of the academically challenged who go to school in good faith and want to get through, but who don't have the mental equipment. Those weren't the ones I was talking about. I was talking about the lazy, deliquent, "cool", menacing, rootless, jerks we see in high school parking lots all the time and who prevent our high schools from being serious places of learning committed to serious learning at whatever level of ability.
Posted by: Peter B at October 15, 2003 06:11 PM