MARC JACOBS
Hutch Post
While many school districts across Kansas have moved away from offering driver’s education classes, Buhler USD 313 continues to provide the program — not only for its own students, but for teenagers across Reno County.
Abby Thompson, principal at Prairie Hills Middle School and coordinator of the district’s driver’s education program, said the district has adapted with changing technology while maintaining what she believes is a more effective model for teaching young drivers.
“I seem to think that the old, traditional, old-fashioned way of Driver’s Ed is a little bit more effective for kids,” Thompson said.
The program no longer relies on weeks of classroom instruction like many adults may remember. Instead, students complete about four weeks of online coursework, including tests and quizzes, while also participating in behind-the-wheel instruction.
The program is not just for Buhler students.
'Our program is open to any kids in the county. So, I think this session, and a lot of sessions, will have kids, obviously, a lot of kids from the Hutch district. We have kids from Burton that we're going to be driving this summer. We have Trinity (Catholic Junior/Senior High School) and Central Christian.
Joel Thompson, one of the program’s driving instructors, said working one-on-one with students behind the wheel allows instructors to focus on building safe driving habits.
“We just talk about defensive driving habits,” he said. “We’re trying to get from point A to point B every time we drive with no issues, no tickets, no accidents.”
Joel Thompson said one of the biggest challenges for new drivers is processing everything happening around them on the road.
“The processing for a young driver is just slower,” he said. “They’re overstimulated sometimes, so it takes a little longer to make those decisions.” he said.
He said that is one reason student driver vehicles are clearly marked.
“We really mark the car more so people can be patient with us,” he said.
Joel Thompson noted that students who have previous experience operating farm equipment, side-by-sides or golf carts often adapt more quickly to driving.
“When I know I have a farm kid, it’s usually a little smoother go for sure,” Joel Thompson said.
The June session is currently full, but Abby Thompson said families are already contacting the district about fall enrollment.
Parents interested in future sessions can contact Thompson through Prairie Hills Middle School or by emailing athompson@usd313.org.