Drivers Ed Classes

Lincoln Charter and Lincoln County Schools have partnered with Carolina Drivers Ed to provide Driver Education classes for our students.

Driver Education courses consist of two phases:

• A classroom portion, which involves 30 hours of instruction and an eye exam
• A driving phase, which involves 6 hours behind the wheel

Upon completion, students receive a Driver's Education Certificate, which allows them to apply for a Level One Limited Learner Permit at 15 years of age, the first level of North Carolina's graduated licensing process for drivers under age 18.

At this time, we do not have any classes scheduled in person or virtually at either campus. We look forward to having classes in the Spring. There are ONLINE - zoom sessions during the Winter break available to all who register. Carolina Driver Education will add classes as needed to meet the needs of all students during the holiday break.

Any Lincoln Charter student that meets the course requirements, can register for classes at any Lincoln County School. Families can register directly at the Carolina Drivers Education website. Lincoln Charter will no longer be registering students through MPP; all registration takes place through Carolina Drivers Education. The new website is very friendly and easy to navigate. You can register for a course that is available, pay and choose driving instructors and drive times.

Classes will start at 3:30 pm which allows time to travel from Lincoln Charter to the school where you registered for class.You will be able to choose a VIRTUAL or TRADITIONAL class. Choose the time and class that best fits your family. After the 30 hours of instruction, you will be able to schedule your Behind the Wheel instruction on their website.

Because of the pandemic and the change to the new driving school, Lincoln Charter and all Lincoln County Schools have a waitlist for the behind the wheel instruction. Carolina Drivers Ed is working diligently to work through the list. Several of our families have not been able to complete the driving portion of the class because they live outside of Lincoln County. This too has been resolved and those students impacted will be called to drive.

If you have any questions please reach out directly to Carolina Drivers Education at 704-489-8199 or Lois Strain.

Driver Eligibility Certificate

To obtain your Driver Eligibility Certificate you are required to come in person to the front office. The form requires a signature from a parent or guardian. You need to bring the following documents with you:

• Completed certificate from a driving school
• If a student is not in good academic standing (passing at least 70% of their classes) they will not be issued a Driver Eligibility Certificate.

For questions please contact Lois Strain-Denver Campus or Jessica Kelly - Lincolnton Campus.

Dropout Prevention/Driver's License Legislation

North Carolina House Bill 769 became effective December 1, 1997 and reflects a coordinated statewide effort to motivate and encourage students to complete high school. This legislation requires that a student's driving permit or license be revoked if a student is unable to maintain adequate progress or drops out of school. Adequate progress is defined as passing 70% of all courses determined by first semester grades and end-of-year grades.

In rare cases, there may be circumstances beyond the control of the student or his/her parents that qualify as a hardship. If a hardship exists, the student may request a waiver. If the waiver is granted, the student would not be affected by the legislation. Hardship cases are rare and are reserved for extreme situations. The Hardship Review Forms are available from our registrars, Robin Harwood - Denver Campus or Georgia Burns - Lincolnton Campus.

Lose Control, Lose Your License Legislation

North Carolina Senate Bill 57, which became effective July 1, 2000, requires that a student's driving permit or license be revoked for one year if a student is given a suspension for more than 10 consecutive days or an assignment to an alternative educational setting for more than 10 consecutive days for one of the following reasons:
The possession or sale of an alcoholic beverage or an illegal controlled substance on school property.
The possession or use on school property of a weapon or firearm that resulted in disciplinary action under G.S. 115C-391 (d1) or that could have resulted in that disciplinary action if the conduct had occurred in a public school.
The physical assault on a teacher or other school personnel on school property.

School property is the physical premises of the school, school buses or other vehicles under the school's control or contract that are used to transport students, and school-sponsored or school-related activities that occur on or off the physical premises of the school.

Students who are at least 14 years old or who were rising 8th graders on or after July 1, 2000, are subject to this law. Students who are 18 years old cannot be charged under this law.

Unlike the "Dropout Prevention/Driver's License" law that only affects students under the age of 18, the "Lose Control" law does not stop at age 18. It is possible for a student to have his or her license suspended as a 17-and-a-half-year-old and not be eligible to drive for a full calendar year, reaching 18-and-a-half before again being eligible to drive.