The state of Oregon is hitting high-school dropouts where it hurts in the driver’s seat.
Under a law that went into effect last month, anyone 17 or younger who wants to drive must stay in school. The law allows the Driver and Motor Vehicle Services Division the right to deny or revoke a driver’s license if a school district reports that a teenager is no longer attending classes.
“The law requires us to review proof of enrollment when they first get driving privileges,” says Debi Letney, Oregon’s driver licensing program co-ordinator. “Then the law allows school districts to adopt a policy to notify us if the student is out of school.”
The law considers anyone with 10 consecutive unexcused absences or 15 unexcused absences in a semester an ex-student. There are exemptions, such as a compelling reason for not being in school (“I don’t feel like going” and “My dog ate my alarm clock” are not acceptable excuses), or the fact that a teen is in drug rehab, is supporting his family or is staying out of school for religious reasons.
