Driving toward success

SANDUSKY — Student drivers at two Sandusky school districts can apply for recently awarded grant funding. Earlier this month, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced grant awards for Ohio school districts and government agencies funding for driver training programs. Students in the Sandusky area will reap the benefits. The $2.5 million in grants will be used to expand teen driving programs for low-income families, according to a news release from the governor's office. The total funding from this Drive to Succeed Scholarship Program was divided among 35 school districts and government agencies. Sandusky Schools received $39,600 from DeWine's Drive to Succeed Scholarship program. This program, administered by the Ohio Traffic Safety Office, was launched in 2022 to provide training scholarships to eligible teens whose families cannot afford driving school. It is expected to help 5,500 students in 43 counties receive the training they need to learn how to drive. "We believe this will positively impact Sandusky students and create lifelong opportunities," Sandusky School's superintendent Dan Rambler said. How will the money be used? District students who are 15 and a half to 17 years old who demonstrate a financial need or barrier, have not received driver's training, have a minimum grade point average of 2.0 and have less than 10 absences in the school year are eligible to take advantage of the funding, Rambler said. The district does not have a driving school program of its own but will use the funding toward driving instruction in partnership with a local driving school, American Driving School. Students from Sandusky Schools and Sandusky Central Catholic Schools are eligible to apply for the financial assistance. Brandy Bennett, Sandusky's assistant principal and director of career technical education, said one of the district's biggest roadblocks in teen driver instruction is transporting students and covering the expense for instruction, which can be cost-prohibitive. "Many students postpone driving until they are 18 years of age," Bennett said. "This impacts student's opportunities to work and fill our occupational need for skilled employees." Bennett said the district hopes to use the funding in a way that benefits students and the workforce. Thomas Bartlow, office administrator of American Driving School, said there are a lot of possibilities this funding can go towards but the main goal of it is to help people get in the door. This is the second time funds were distributed from the program. "This program is already helping hundreds of teens learn skills to be safer drivers, and we are happy to help even more young people receive driver training," DeWine said. "When young drivers know the strategies to stay safe on the roads, the roads are safer for everyone." Andy Wilson, director of the Ohio Department of Public Safety, said half of Ohio's teens receive their driver's license before the age of 18 and complete mandatory requirements to do so. The other half who wait are more likely to be involved in a crash in the first year of having a license. Wilson said this is proof training makes a difference. Emily Davidson, director of the Ohio Traffic Safety Office, said driver training is crucial in setting teens up for success. By providing local jurisdictions like Sandusky Schools with funding, specific localized needs and resources of communities can be addressed.