05/19/2020 - More good news as it relates to Driver's Ed. As of today the Capsell Building in Wautoma is open to the public. This means that I can resume in-person classes again, however there will be a reduction in class size and an emphasis on social distancing and a sanitary learning environment. I already have classes on my calendar for June and July, so current students can sign up for those classes on my website. I am also still approved to provide classroom instruction virtually and I plan to continue virtual instruction to help ensure all students have every opportunity to complete the in-person classes. I truly appreciate everyone's patience as I get caught up from the time lost.
05/06/20 - One more update received today. The State sent an email at 11:10 a.m. today saying that we may resume driving operations (which we knew), but we can only drive with one student in the vehicle at a time. This was unexpected to say the least. After yesterdays announcement, many partnered students scheduled 2 hr appointments throughout May and into June.
What this means moving forward:
I am going to leave all the appointments as is, HOWEVER I am asking each student to speak with their partner and figure out who will drive for the first hour of the appointment and who will drive for the second hour. Then each student would only need to arrive at the appropriate driving time.
This also means that with the absence of observation hours each student will have additional driving hours they will need to log. The ratio is for every 1 hour of missed observation the student needs 1/2 hour of additional driving. So after I make this post I am going to convert any un-booked two hour driving appointments to individual 1 hour driving appointments. That way each student can individually book additional drive time. If a student just has a half hour to make up, still book a 1 hour appointment.
To summarize: Student partners will keep the appointments that they have BUT they NEED to communicate with each other as to who will drive the first hour and who will drive the second hour. Additional driving time will be needed for each driver due to the absence of observation time (ratio: 1/2 hour of driving for 1 hour of missed observation). Open (un-booked) 2 hr. appointments will be converted to individual 1 hr appointments so students can schedule their additional drive times without coordinating with their partner.
I apologize for the confusion, as this was a surprise for me as well. As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
05/05/20 - New update as of 05/05/20 - The DMV is opening back up!
This is the timeline they have shared with me, as it pertains to new drivers:
05/07/20 @ 5:00 p.m. Anyone who had a previously scheduled test cancelled can go online and re-schedule an exam.
05/08/20 - Those that would like to schedule a new exam (did not have an exam previously scheduled) can go online schedule a new exam.
05/11/20 - DMV will begin issue instructional permits and offer onsite temps testing again. No appointment needed.
05/26/20 - DMV will begin road testing again, utilizing safety precautions and protective gear.
But... the biggest news is that for students that are 16-17 years of age and have fully completed a Driver's Ed program, the DMV is offering a Road Test waiver. This means that Parents/Guardians can accept responsibility of the safe driving habits of their teen and sign an electronic agreement approving of the waiver, and that will allow their teen to get a license without road testing.
If parents would still like their student to take a road test, they are still able to. The waiver is only an option.
The reason the DMV is doing this is because of a backlog of road tests numbering somewhere near 16,000. They need to get caught up. The DMV is calling this waiver a "pilot program". They gave no indication as to how long the waiver program will be open for.
So, what this means to Badgerland Driver's Ed students. I will begin driving with students again on May 8th. As I resume driving the following conditions will be imposed:
- All students must wear a mask when in my vehicle. If you don't have a mask, I will issue you a reusable mask that must be worn for each appointment.
- I will have hand sanitizer available in the car for students to use.
- I will have cleaning wipes available for each student to clean the driving area after they are done driving
- Windows will be kept down when appropriate.
- A permission slip will need to be signed by the parent/guardian of the student allowing their child to be instructed with the following conditions.
Please note - If I do not have a permission slip or your child does not have a mask, I will not allow them to drive - even if the partner says they are OK with them driving without a mask.
As for classes, I am still offering an all online classroom option, the hybrid option (20 hours online, 10 hours in-person), and I have just hosted my first virtual class using Zoom. I will look at hosting more virtual classes through May, and I am hoping I can resume regular classes in June. If not, I will continue as I have been these last few months.
Finally, as you know, everything regarding the sate of our community is day to day. My intentions are to utilize this window of opportunity in the safest manner possible to help my students keep moving forward towards their goal. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to ask. I am truly trying to do my best to make good safe decisions to operate my business, assist my students, and respect everyone's safety and beliefs.
I hope to see you soon!
04/28/20 - So, in the ever changing status of everything related to the WI Safer at Home Executive Order, I received an email on 04/27/20 informing me that Driver's Education is an essential business. But... in conducting my business I still need to adhere to social distancing requirements.
So, moving forward, I will continue to suspend driving instruction until:
1. social distancing requirements are reduced; or
2. the DMV resumes services including new driver road testing.
At the time that either of those things happen, I will resume driving with the following changes:
1. Each student will have issued to them a reusable mask which must be worn for each driving lesson; 2. sanitizing wipes and hand sanitizer will be available in the car for each driver to use before they drive;
3. the car windows will be kept down when appropriate; and
4. a permission slip must be signed by a parent/guardian allowing for their student to receive driving lessons with these changes.
Again, as noted earlier, this is a pretty fluid situation and any or all of the items discussed in this post can change at any time. What I have written above is merely a reflection of the current information I have. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.
04/23/20 - As of 4:30 p.m. today, I have still not been given the go ahead to open back up for driving or classroom instruction. I do have an operational plan submitted to our County Health Department that would attempt to provide for the safety of the students and myself while providing instruction. However, I am still considered a non-essential business, so I am still prohibited from operating. Keep in mind that the DMV is not operating either, so no matter how much progress we made with instruction, the students still could not test. I am taking this week by week (so all appointments through 4/30/20 will be cancelled) and hoping this situation changes soon. In the meantime, remember to follow the recommendations given to us by the Federal, State and local authorities and health officials. The stricter we adhere to those guidelines, the sooner we can hopefully return to life as it once was.
04/20/20 - It has been a while since I updated this information. Since the last update, the DMV is now closed to all, with the exception of CDL licensing, which is by appointment only. I do have students with pending tests in May that have informed me that their tests have not been canceled as of yet, so we will wait and see.
The schedule for student activities on my website reflects the expiration date of the first Safer at Home orders, but as you know those orders have been extended. I have forwarded an operational plan to our county health department with the intent that I could possibly resume driving instructions with some operational changes which ensure the safety of everyone in the vehicle. I was told the County would check with the State and advise me later this week. If the plan is not deemed safe or advisable, I may not be able to offer driving instruction until we enter Phase One of the Badger Bounce Back Plan, which would come after 14 days of a downward trajectory of new cases of Coronavirus.
I appreciate everyone's patience. Please feel free to contact me with any questions.
03/26/20 - I spoke to staff at the Wautoma DMV center today. I confirmed that they are still allowing temps testing at their office, however only one person at a time can test. Please remember, if you choose to go to the DMV and take your temps test, you need a form from me stating you are currently enrolled in my program. Please contact me in advance of any planned visit to the DMV so I can make arrangements to get you this form.
03/25/20 - As of 8 a.m. today (03/25/2020) I am only allowed to provide remote educational services until 04/24/2020. This changes only a couple things to my previous posts.
Driving instruction will be postponed until that date. However, I will continue to monitor the situation daily, and if restrictions are loosened for businesses similar to mine, I will post immediately.
The temps exam that is currently scheduled for 04/01/2020 will be postponed until 04/24/20 @ 9:00 a.m.
In the meantime:
- If you already have your temps and need to reschedule driving appointments, please check my calendar a little later today as I will update it to reflect the fact that school is not in session and the hopeful lifting of restrictions on 04/24/2020. Also, please continue to drive with parents'guardians. Do not fall out of practice! These restrictions will pass, and you want to make sure you are in the best possible position to get your license once the restrictions are lifted.
- If you had a driving exam canceled by the DMV, continue to check their website for the ability to reschedule your exam as soon as possible
- If you have any online coursework pending, please complete during this down time
- If you had any in-person classes pending, please contact me via text or email about possible options to complete the required course work.
- If you were planning on getting your temps, please continue to study and be ready to test as soon as restrictions are lifted
Please keep in mind, as I wrote earlier, this will pass. So, as in life, concentrate on preparing the best you can for when the restrictions are lifted and placing yourself in the best possible position to move forward.
Thank you for your patience and trust in my program.
03/19/20 - New directives were issued late yesterday from the state.
1. All DMV centers will be closed on 3/20/20, just for the day, to allow for cleaning. They will re-open on 03/23/20
2. In-Person service at DMV centers will be restricted to new DL/ID transactions only.
3. All Driver's testing at the DMV is still suspended.
4. Per state recommendations, Driver's Ed classroom sessions should be restricted to no more than 10 persons, including the instructor.
5. Per state recommendations, driving lessons are at the school's discretion.
My response to these new directives:
1. I am keeping my classroom plans the same as described in the previous post.
2. I will suspend driving instruction until 3/30/20 (for the time being) to allow for the current recommendation of 14 days of social distancing to pass. This may change as time goes on and the government issues new recommendations.
3. If you had a driving lesson scheduled within this 2 week time period, we should be able to easily make up for lost time as students will be able to drive throughout the day due to the indefinite suspension of school.
4. At this time I still plan to allow for Temps testing on 04/01/20 at 6:00 p.m. However, I plan on enforcing a strict limit of 6 students for testing. This also may change with new government restrictions.
As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
05/06/20 - One more update received today. The State sent an email at 11:10 a.m. today saying that we may resume driving operations (which we knew), but we can only drive with one student in the vehicle at a time. This was unexpected to say the least. After yesterdays announcement, many partnered students scheduled 2 hr appointments throughout May and into June.
What this means moving forward:
I am going to leave all the appointments as is, HOWEVER I am asking each student to speak with their partner and figure out who will drive for the first hour of the appointment and who will drive for the second hour. Then each student would only need to arrive at the appropriate driving time.
This also means that with the absence of observation hours each student will have additional driving hours they will need to log. The ratio is for every 1 hour of missed observation the student needs 1/2 hour of additional driving. So after I make this post I am going to convert any un-booked two hour driving appointments to individual 1 hour driving appointments. That way each student can individually book additional drive time. If a student just has a half hour to make up, still book a 1 hour appointment.
To summarize: Student partners will keep the appointments that they have BUT they NEED to communicate with each other as to who will drive the first hour and who will drive the second hour. Additional driving time will be needed for each driver due to the absence of observation time (ratio: 1/2 hour of driving for 1 hour of missed observation). Open (un-booked) 2 hr. appointments will be converted to individual 1 hr appointments so students can schedule their additional drive times without coordinating with their partner.
I apologize for the confusion, as this was a surprise for me as well. As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
05/05/20 - New update as of 05/05/20 - The DMV is opening back up!
This is the timeline they have shared with me, as it pertains to new drivers:
05/07/20 @ 5:00 p.m. Anyone who had a previously scheduled test cancelled can go online and re-schedule an exam.
05/08/20 - Those that would like to schedule a new exam (did not have an exam previously scheduled) can go online schedule a new exam.
05/11/20 - DMV will begin issue instructional permits and offer onsite temps testing again. No appointment needed.
05/26/20 - DMV will begin road testing again, utilizing safety precautions and protective gear.
But... the biggest news is that for students that are 16-17 years of age and have fully completed a Driver's Ed program, the DMV is offering a Road Test waiver. This means that Parents/Guardians can accept responsibility of the safe driving habits of their teen and sign an electronic agreement approving of the waiver, and that will allow their teen to get a license without road testing.
If parents would still like their student to take a road test, they are still able to. The waiver is only an option.
The reason the DMV is doing this is because of a backlog of road tests numbering somewhere near 16,000. They need to get caught up. The DMV is calling this waiver a "pilot program". They gave no indication as to how long the waiver program will be open for.
So, what this means to Badgerland Driver's Ed students. I will begin driving with students again on May 8th. As I resume driving the following conditions will be imposed:
- All students must wear a mask when in my vehicle. If you don't have a mask, I will issue you a reusable mask that must be worn for each appointment.
- I will have hand sanitizer available in the car for students to use.
- I will have cleaning wipes available for each student to clean the driving area after they are done driving
- Windows will be kept down when appropriate.
- A permission slip will need to be signed by the parent/guardian of the student allowing their child to be instructed with the following conditions.
Please note - If I do not have a permission slip or your child does not have a mask, I will not allow them to drive - even if the partner says they are OK with them driving without a mask.
As for classes, I am still offering an all online classroom option, the hybrid option (20 hours online, 10 hours in-person), and I have just hosted my first virtual class using Zoom. I will look at hosting more virtual classes through May, and I am hoping I can resume regular classes in June. If not, I will continue as I have been these last few months.
Finally, as you know, everything regarding the sate of our community is day to day. My intentions are to utilize this window of opportunity in the safest manner possible to help my students keep moving forward towards their goal. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to ask. I am truly trying to do my best to make good safe decisions to operate my business, assist my students, and respect everyone's safety and beliefs.
I hope to see you soon!
04/28/20 - So, in the ever changing status of everything related to the WI Safer at Home Executive Order, I received an email on 04/27/20 informing me that Driver's Education is an essential business. But... in conducting my business I still need to adhere to social distancing requirements.
So, moving forward, I will continue to suspend driving instruction until:
1. social distancing requirements are reduced; or
2. the DMV resumes services including new driver road testing.
At the time that either of those things happen, I will resume driving with the following changes:
1. Each student will have issued to them a reusable mask which must be worn for each driving lesson; 2. sanitizing wipes and hand sanitizer will be available in the car for each driver to use before they drive;
3. the car windows will be kept down when appropriate; and
4. a permission slip must be signed by a parent/guardian allowing for their student to receive driving lessons with these changes.
Again, as noted earlier, this is a pretty fluid situation and any or all of the items discussed in this post can change at any time. What I have written above is merely a reflection of the current information I have. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.
04/23/20 - As of 4:30 p.m. today, I have still not been given the go ahead to open back up for driving or classroom instruction. I do have an operational plan submitted to our County Health Department that would attempt to provide for the safety of the students and myself while providing instruction. However, I am still considered a non-essential business, so I am still prohibited from operating. Keep in mind that the DMV is not operating either, so no matter how much progress we made with instruction, the students still could not test. I am taking this week by week (so all appointments through 4/30/20 will be cancelled) and hoping this situation changes soon. In the meantime, remember to follow the recommendations given to us by the Federal, State and local authorities and health officials. The stricter we adhere to those guidelines, the sooner we can hopefully return to life as it once was.
04/20/20 - It has been a while since I updated this information. Since the last update, the DMV is now closed to all, with the exception of CDL licensing, which is by appointment only. I do have students with pending tests in May that have informed me that their tests have not been canceled as of yet, so we will wait and see.
The schedule for student activities on my website reflects the expiration date of the first Safer at Home orders, but as you know those orders have been extended. I have forwarded an operational plan to our county health department with the intent that I could possibly resume driving instructions with some operational changes which ensure the safety of everyone in the vehicle. I was told the County would check with the State and advise me later this week. If the plan is not deemed safe or advisable, I may not be able to offer driving instruction until we enter Phase One of the Badger Bounce Back Plan, which would come after 14 days of a downward trajectory of new cases of Coronavirus.
I appreciate everyone's patience. Please feel free to contact me with any questions.
03/26/20 - I spoke to staff at the Wautoma DMV center today. I confirmed that they are still allowing temps testing at their office, however only one person at a time can test. Please remember, if you choose to go to the DMV and take your temps test, you need a form from me stating you are currently enrolled in my program. Please contact me in advance of any planned visit to the DMV so I can make arrangements to get you this form.
03/25/20 - As of 8 a.m. today (03/25/2020) I am only allowed to provide remote educational services until 04/24/2020. This changes only a couple things to my previous posts.
Driving instruction will be postponed until that date. However, I will continue to monitor the situation daily, and if restrictions are loosened for businesses similar to mine, I will post immediately.
The temps exam that is currently scheduled for 04/01/2020 will be postponed until 04/24/20 @ 9:00 a.m.
In the meantime:
- If you already have your temps and need to reschedule driving appointments, please check my calendar a little later today as I will update it to reflect the fact that school is not in session and the hopeful lifting of restrictions on 04/24/2020. Also, please continue to drive with parents'guardians. Do not fall out of practice! These restrictions will pass, and you want to make sure you are in the best possible position to get your license once the restrictions are lifted.
- If you had a driving exam canceled by the DMV, continue to check their website for the ability to reschedule your exam as soon as possible
- If you have any online coursework pending, please complete during this down time
- If you had any in-person classes pending, please contact me via text or email about possible options to complete the required course work.
- If you were planning on getting your temps, please continue to study and be ready to test as soon as restrictions are lifted
Please keep in mind, as I wrote earlier, this will pass. So, as in life, concentrate on preparing the best you can for when the restrictions are lifted and placing yourself in the best possible position to move forward.
Thank you for your patience and trust in my program.
03/19/20 - New directives were issued late yesterday from the state.
1. All DMV centers will be closed on 3/20/20, just for the day, to allow for cleaning. They will re-open on 03/23/20
2. In-Person service at DMV centers will be restricted to new DL/ID transactions only.
3. All Driver's testing at the DMV is still suspended.
4. Per state recommendations, Driver's Ed classroom sessions should be restricted to no more than 10 persons, including the instructor.
5. Per state recommendations, driving lessons are at the school's discretion.
My response to these new directives:
1. I am keeping my classroom plans the same as described in the previous post.
2. I will suspend driving instruction until 3/30/20 (for the time being) to allow for the current recommendation of 14 days of social distancing to pass. This may change as time goes on and the government issues new recommendations.
3. If you had a driving lesson scheduled within this 2 week time period, we should be able to easily make up for lost time as students will be able to drive throughout the day due to the indefinite suspension of school.
4. At this time I still plan to allow for Temps testing on 04/01/20 at 6:00 p.m. However, I plan on enforcing a strict limit of 6 students for testing. This also may change with new government restrictions.
As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
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Behind the Wheel
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