Nevada Bill Proposes Driver's License Suspension For Low-Performing Students

Lawmakers in Nevada considered a bill on Monday that would allow the state to suspend a student's driver's license for poor academic performance.

Clark County School Board proposed Assembly Bill 64 to the Assembly Education Committee as a way to boost their district's low graduation rate -- a meager 63.8 percent, according to a Las Vegas Sun article.

Enforcing school attendance and academic performance by withholding a student's driver's license is not a new idea. Twenty-seven states have laws in place that allow a student's driving privileges to be suspended due to poor behavior at school. Five of the 27 specify that students must uphold satisfactory progress academically.

In states where such legislation hasn't been passed, some schools have taken on the responsibility themselves. Students at one Indiana high school, for example, may have their driving privileges on school property suspended for low academic performance or truancy.

However, one point of contention arises regarding states whose compulsory school age requirements are below 18 years old. Students who live in states that allow 16- and 17-year-olds to leave high school may choose to drop out and keep their driver's license instead of staying in school and forfeiting it for truancy or poor grades.

In addition to suspending student's driving privileges, A.B. 64 includes more drastic measures. The bill proposed punishing the parents of a student for their child's underachievement. Parents could be required to do up to 16 hours of community service, and their hunting and fishing licenses would be subject to suspension for the remainder of the open season.

Such measures could "alienate the very parents our schools are trying to reach," Dotty Merrill, a lobbyist for the Nevada Association of School Boards, told a Las Vegas Review Journal reporter.

No action on A.B. 64 was taken on Monday. The bill, which will be considered at a later date, requires a two-thirds majority to pass.

Comments

[lcr999]

01:47 PM on 03/20/2011

Driving is a priveledge but it is also carries a requirement to be responsible.
Some teen agers are more responsible than others.
One sign of irresponsibility is bad grades. Anyone who takes HS seriously can get passing grades unless there is a real medical issue.
Ergo....Students with poor grades have not demonstrated that they are sufficiently responsible to drive.
Ergo...no drivers license.

[lcr999]

01:40 PM on 03/20/2011

Unfortuneately, some kids need external motivation to take school seriously.
Unfortunately, some parents are unable or unwilling to provide this.

In the meantime, we are paying $10K-$20K per year in a vain attempt to educate this person who has no interest in learning.

So, yes, I think it is appropriate to remove whatever PRIVILEGES have been extended to said underage person. Now if we could only take away their cell phones that would really get their attention.

[tikixyz123]

05:57 PM on 03/18/2011

driving has nothing to do with public education! what about children with learning disabilities who will have trouble in school no matter what? very stupid idea.

[Andman0121]

01:46 PM on 03/18/2011

This is the best idea I've ever heard.

[El Chingaso]

04:49 AM on 03/18/2011

Truancy, maybe; bad grades, no. Nonetheless, another fine example of government overreach.

[Andman0121]

01:47 PM on 03/18/2011

this is not government overreach so stop being melodramatic. It holds kids accountable and stops rewarding poor academics.

[JWW33]

07:04 PM on 03/20/2011

Yep, the states built and maintain the roads, they could make any requirements they want to get a license. They could raise the driving age to 30 if they wanted.

[TheBlondeRaven]

01:03 AM on 03/18/2011

cons:
Students may drop out all together just to get their driver's license.
Students who lose their license will drive illegal; if they get in an accident, insurance won't cover it leading to law and medical bills from hell.
Fair enforcing? How do you enforce it? What GPA is too low? Does it vary from school to school?

[Andman0121]

01:48 PM on 03/18/2011

lol you are suggesting that kids will simply drop out just to get their driver's license??

[TheBlondeRaven]

03:26 AM on 03/19/2011

A student doing very bad in school and then loses his license, but will regain by dropping it out, has a good motivation for dropping out of school.

[Sam Salinitis]

02:51 PM on 03/17/2011

Nevada- worry about your gambling and your brothels.

[tinka]

09:15 AM on 03/17/2011

How is it funded and who manages it? Talk about nanny state. Wow, that’s about as crazy as it comes.

[Nicole Dixson]

11:37 PM on 03/16/2011

I wonder what the kids' grades were before they got their licenses. I really wouldn't need this law because in my house, if you don't do the best you can in school, respect my rules and help around the house, you pretty much get meals, clothing and housing. Licenses, Xbox 360, cell phones, IPods/Pads, all that stuff is extra.

[gevan]

10:11 PM on 03/16/2011

Why limit is to students? Why not suspend low performing adults? How about Republicans who say stupid things? How about investors who put money into stocks whose price falls? Let's just get Nevadans a bunch of bicyles. The Chinese aren't using as many as they used to so we could get a lot cheap.

[pranksalot]

08:58 PM on 03/16/2011

Not a bad idea. A really good incentive to do well in high school.

[HekmagaJuximaxx]

08:02 PM on 03/16/2011

What's next...suspending driver licenses of people who do not vote Republican? Concentration Camps? Ovens? Shaggs concerts?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wQK6zMJOoQ

[mikey09]

07:57 PM on 03/16/2011

My state has this type of law, you drop out, no license till 18, same with bad grades and attendance. BUT, we also have good grade discount on car insurance, thats a huge motivator at my house since kids are required to contribute to insurance costs....

[IceFlame]

06:13 PM on 03/16/2011

Yes, Interfering with the fun of the joy-riding rich kids in three-car families will have a salutary effect on everyone. And chopping the economic ability of poorer families will solve all kinds of problems. This is like fining people who cannot afford to pay their debts.