With all of the COVID-19 regulations that have been enforced, the groups the school runs have changed. One big group that is important to some students that have been changed is driver’s ed. Driver’s ed can be seen as important because it teaches students the rules and how to drive safely. However, with all the rules and regulations that came with COVID-19, the driver’s ed has changed how it works for students and teachers.

Before COVID-19 hit, driver’s ed classes took place at the school, where driver’s ed teacher Jeff Regier taught students how to safely drive, and the rules that go along with it. Once all the students had been taught about the rules of the roads and what different road signs meant, they had a large test over all their knowledge. After the students passed the test, Regier would pair the students up with another student driver, so they can practice driving. When COVID-19 hit, the driver’s ed class changed. It now has recorded videos explaining what students would have learned in the classroom. 

“Last year, we had it online. I mean I had to rewrite the whole program and the curriculum, and everything was online.” Regier said.

The students would have to be home watching the videos and doing some assignments

“Doing driver’s ed online was hard,” freshman Will Stueven said. “It was hard asking questions since you had to email back and forth.”

After all the assignments were finished, students also had to take tests over each section, which were also online. 

“They had to take their tests online except for two of them,” says Regier, “and then, of course, you drove with masks and with only two people in a car.”

When it came to the driving part, it was still the same, but they had to wear their masks the entire time while they were in the car.

“This year we expect it to be the same as the year before, except for how we teach the students,” Regier said.

This year, with driver’s ed classes starting on May 8, they are allowed to teach back at the school again. The students will be back at the school in a classroom learning face to face and driving in pairs, only with masks on. 

“Pretty much we have just like a regular classroom instead of an online classroom, and we still drive with masks on,” Regier said, “We’re gonna go back to like how we were, except for the mask.”