Attendance rises with driver’s ed

By Emily Richmond (contact)

Monday, April 3, 2006 | 9:28 a.m.

Driver's education advocates say the return of driving instruction to most of Clark County's high schools may help reduce the number of crashes involving younger drivers.

But longtime district administrator Edward Goldman said there could another benefit - improved attendance.

"Sophomores never missed school," said Goldman, recalling his days overseeing driver's education as assistant principal of Bonanza High School in 1989.

The 2005 Legislature approved new requirements for beginning teen drivers, including a stricter 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew. To receive a license, teenagers must now pass a 30-hour driver's education course, taught either by their high school or a private company.

Driver's education, once a staple of the district's curriculum, fell by the wayside at many schools more than a decade ago as other mandatory classes were added to student schedules.

Goldman, associate superintendent of educational services for the district, said students displayed noticeable improvement in attendance and attitude when they were taking driver's education.

"You can't be absent for your first five classes and then show up for driver's ed," Goldman said. "They knew if they missed an earlier period they couldn't go to driver's ed, and if they didn't go to driver's ed, they couldn't get their license. There was a real incentive for them to keep all their grades up."

Driver's education classes are now offered at 11 of the district campuses. That number is expected to jump to about 40 in August.

Students will still be able to participate in the distance education version of class, or sign up for summer school, said Ron Moracco, who oversees the programs for the district.

To teach driver's education, instructors must undergo 45 hours of classes, Moracco said. about 70 high school teachers have already signed on and began training last week, Moracco said.

Ithonya was honored Thursday in a surprise assembly as having the best handwriting of all of the Nevada fourth graders who entered a statewide cursive writing competition. She now moves on to the national championships of the annual event sponsored by penmanship workbook publisher ZanerBlozer.

"I think legible cursive writing is important because I want adults and kids to understand my stories," wrote Ithonya in her winning entry. Her teacher, Denise Padilla, called Ithonya "a great role model for students all across Clark County and the state of Nevada."

While the district is seeking to build the new Smalley Elementary School in a rural neighborhood and has won approval from the city's Planning Commission, some residents oppose putting a school in the proposed location. The matter is up for a City Council vote April 18.

Gibson called for a meeting last week with Clark County Schools Superintendent Walt Rulffes to discuss the project and to review potential alternative locations.

But there's one call Gibson hasn't made - to the Las Vegas Sun. Repeated requests for an interview were ignored. And a promised return phone call earlier in the week never happened.

One Henderson resident who has been keeping a close eye on the Smalley project suggested Gibson's silence wasn't personal.

"He just doesn't like to talk to reporters," the resident said.

Personal or not, silence can be deafening - especially when it comes from a candidate for the state's highest office.

Emily Richmond can be reached at 259-8829 or at emily@lasvegassun. com.