Suburban schools benefit from lawmakers' lapse

SPRINGFIELD -- Suburban schools will be able to avoid stricter driver education laws because Illinois lawmakers didn't get their work done on time.

The General Assembly failed to meet a legal deadline for acting on public schools' requests to steer clear of certain state requirements. In the case of several suburban schools, those requests dealt with continued use of driving simulator programs along with regular behind-the-wheel training.

In July, a new state law removes the use of such simulators as substitutes for actual driving with an instructor. In response, several area schools asked lawmakers for permission to avoid the new requirement for the next five years.

The newer technology, school officials argue, is a better use of funding and helps young drivers learn more than just traditional behind-the-wheel courses .

"It allows for more contact time with the student," said Dan Kleinfeldt, a driver education teacher at Oak Park and River Forest High School, adding that often his real driving lessons in the suburban area are stuck in traffic.

The Illinois Senate approved the requests late last week after the House had already adjourned and announced it would not be back until Tuesday. The House was prepared to approve a one-year waiver on the simulator requirement, but suburban schools had asked permission to keep using simulators for up to five years.

Because the deadline was missed, the five-year request was automatically granted.

"This is a process that doesn't work very well," said state Rep. Mike Smith, a Peoria-area Democrat in explaining to colleagues what happened.

At a recent hearing, Kleinfeldt argued that many schools don't have the resources needed to comply with increased driving time. Driver education classes are packed with dozens of students each semester and the simulators provide quality, cost-effective training, he said.

"What's killing the students isn't whether we're using simulators or driving on the streets," said Kleinfeldt. "It's the decision-making process later."

John Moss, director of special services for the Glenbard High School District, also said adding more cars and teachers to its four campuses' driving courses would cost about $600,000.

From Jan. 1 to April 15, 22 teens died in vehicle crashes, according to the Illinois Secretary of State's office. There were 57 deaths during the same time period last year.

The simulator crackdowns were part of a series of driver education restrictions pushed last year by Secretary of State Jesse White's office. Calls to White's spokesman were not returned Tuesday.