Photo: WBZ NewsRadio
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — The future of virtual driver's education classes in Massachusetts is being challenged.
Senator Joan Lovely and Representative Carole Fiola are backing a bill to extend a pandemic-era law that allows online driver's education classes in the curriculum.
The policy is currently scheduled to expire in September.
Supporters say allowing remote sessions creates equal access for all learners.
But at a statehouse hearing Tuesday, opponents to the measure said virtual classes put teenagers and road safety at risk and should not replace in-person lectures.
Those seeking a driver's license need to complete hours of classroom learning in addition to on-road instruction.
The online driver's education policy allows students to take the classroom part virtually.
There are two bills aimed at extending virtual driver's education in the state.
Among the opponents to that effort are some local driving schools that said in-person classes make for safer drivers.
They also testified that allowing virtual classes puts smaller driver's education schools in the state at a disadvantage.
Meanwhile, in Cambridge, supporters of virtual classes, like Mikiel, said there’s no harm to the idea as long as students are still required to complete on-the-road driving classes and pass a driver's road test. "I think it's okay for the classroom part to be virtual," she said. "I mean, it was okay during Covid."
Senator Joan Lovely said the average scores of the students who attended class in person compared with students who took the class online are nearly the same.
Mikiel said that if the scores are the same, then classroom training should be allowed. "If it has been the same, then I don't see a problem. If it's not broken, why try and fix it," Mikiel said.
WBZ's Emma Friedman (@EmmaFriedmanWBZ) reports.