Federal Way School District
Traffic Safety Department
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Session Information
Fall Session – Sept. 22 – Nov 25Winter Session – Dec. 1 – Feb. 18
Spring Session – March 2 – May 5
Summer Session – Tentative Start Date June 16
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where are the classes held?
Classes are held at all the 4 Federal Way High Schools, Decatur, Todd Beamer, Federal Way and Thomas Jefferson. Most schools have classes on Mondays and Wednesdays "or" Tuesdays and Thursdays depending on the enrollment. All after school classes usually run for 2 hours, from approximately 2:20 pm to about 4:20 pm. We also have "night" classes available. Night classes are held Mondays and Wednesdays from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Thomas Jefferson High School.
Do I need an instructional driving permit?
All registered students will receive information about how to acquire their permit without taking a test. The application for the permit will be given to the student the first day of class.
When will my son/daughter drive their lessons and how many lessons are there?
All On-Road drives for the students are coordinated with the classroom teacher the first week of class. All students will have the opportunity to drive 6 on-road evaluations lasting approximately 1 hour. All on-road drives are coordinated outside of the classroom hour, we can not stress enough, the importance of parents picking up their students immediately after their lessons.
How much driving practice should I do with my son/daughter?
We, of course, want your student to have a positive and enjoyable experience when learning to drive and feel as instructors that the parent involvement component is critical to the success of the student becoming a successful, safe, and conscientious driver. The actual amount of practice time we would consider reasonable would be no less than 10 hours for the duration of the class.
The new state licensing law requires certification of 50 hours behind-the-wheel practice with a licensed driver, 10 of the 50 hours must be at night.
What are some of the major requirements to take traffic safety in the Federal Way School District?
First and foremost, the student must be at least 15 years of age before the first day of class and have a driving permit by the end of the first week of class. The application for the permit will be given to the student on the first day of class. It is the parents' and student's responsibility to get to the Department of Licensing (DOL).
The registration fee starting for the fall of 2007 will be changed to $400 due to the "new" state of Washington requirement of all students driving 6 hours in the car. This can either be paid at time of registration as we offer a NEW payment plan. Look under fees for details.
Parent/guardian must notify instructor on the first day of class if student has an IEP or Section 504 accommodation plan.
Students are required to attend 90% of all classroom sessions. Missing more than two classes will result in the student failing the class due to state required classroom contact time and loss of class fee.
Why take Traffic Safety through the FWSD program versus the “private driving schools”?
“For starters, the FWSD traffic safety program has a proven track record of over 50 years of successful students passing our course.” The private companies can not make that claim, they haven’t been in business that long. Our program and its experienced instructors of numerous years have a state regulated curriculum that covers all facets of driving to ensure our students are getting a quality program for the amount of money their parents are investing. Our classroom sessions mirror our on road driving lessons to make sure there is continuity and consistency. Some of the private commercial companies have only been in the business a very short while and are looking for a “quick dollar” and not a extensive quality program for their students.
What is cost of the FWSD program compared to the “private driving schools”?
“Our price is $400 with a flexible payment plan of 2 or 3 payments starting with a down payment of $200.” We do not have any hidden costs like the private driving schools will have. As some of the private driving schools are claiming a “cheaper” price, remember the added cost of driving your son or daughter every time “to and from” class as well as “to and from” the on road drives. How much gas money, wear and tear on your vehicle and your time worth? Our classes are right after school at your student's school therefore you only have to pick up your student. Our on road drives for the most part are right after school and again you only have to pick up your student after the lesson.
How can the “private driving schools” run a shorter program during the school year?
“While our program is 9 weeks long, the private driving school program may only be “6 weeks long.” We do give our students more depth in their learning as well as many guest speakers to interact with our students . Also with the new law of waiting 6 months until the students can apply for their license after getting their permit should be considered when discussing the length of the traffic safety course. A six week course has no advantage over a nine week course due to the new law, as the student must wait until after the 6 months time has lapsed before applying for his or her license anyway. As our program is longer in length, we can assure you that they are getting more information for their money.
What are your classroom and on road driving requirements compared to the “private driving schools”?
The bare minimum the State of Washington requires is 30 classroom hours and 6 on the road hours which most private commercial companies adhere to. Any extra lessons will cost you extra with the private companies. The FWSD traffic safety program has 34 hours of classroom instruction, 6 on road drives totaling over 6 hours of actual driving and 12 hours of observation time in the car which involves watching the instruction of our teachers with other students. Our program has always been more extensive in scope compared to the private commercial programs.
How flexible is the FWSD traffic safety program?
We have classes right after school at all of our 4 high schools and even “night” classes. For our students that can't fit traffic safety in their busy school year schedule, we have our "summer session" which usually starts the Tuesday after school year is out and is centrally located at Federal Way High School which is right on the Metro bus line. During the school year, we have 4 different sessions.