Rules For A School-Driving Permit In Waukee

Press release from the City of Waukee:

April 9, 2021

Driving to school is an adult-level responsibility, which students need to take seriously in order to keep themselves and others safe; this also helps protect students’ privileges to drive. This license allows students to drive without adult supervision between the hours of 5 a.m. and 10 p.m. Below are the rules that apply to having a school permit:

• Be at least 14 ½ years old.
• Complete an Iowa-approved driver education course.
• Hold an instruction permit and a clean driving record for at least six consecutive months immediately before applying for a minor school license.
• Live one mile or more from the school in which currently enrolled.
• Drive from home to school(s) of enrollment or school-sponsored activities using the most direct and accessible route. Public school students are limited to driving within the school district of enrollment or a contiguous district, and accredited nonpublic school students are limited to driving within a 50-mile driving distance. Activities must be at the school(s) of current enrollment.
• Drive to a school that is not your school of enrollment to participate in extracurricular activities. Activities must be in a contiguous (bordering) school district for public school students, or not more than 50 miles driving distance for private school students, and must be held at a site, facility or school designated for the activity under a sharing agreement between schools, or conducted at a site or facility that the school of current enrollment has designated to accommodate extracurricular activities.
• Drive to and from home to the closet bus stop.
• Stop for fuel while on route at the closet gas station off route.
• CanNOT use a cell phone, smart phone, tablet or other electronic communication devices while driving.
• CanNOT carry more than ONE minor passenger that is not a relative when driving. A relative means a sibling living in the drivers’ SAME home.
• CanNOT pick up other minors along the school route on the way to school.

What if the rules are broken?

The license may be suspended if convicted of a traffic violation (including, but not limited to, speeding, reckless driving, failure to obey a traffic signal, etc.), violate any of the restrictions on the license, or are involved in a crash the student driver in question caused or contributed to.

First Offense: The license may be suspended for 30 days and a fee must be paid to reinstate the minor school license.

Second Offense: The license will be revoked for 30 days and a fee must be paid to reinstate to an instruction permit for six months before becoming eligible again for a minor school license.

Please call the Waukee PD at 515-978-7979 with questions.

This press release was produced by the City of Waukee. The views expressed here are the author’s own.