Driver Education
Schedule
A list of the actual driving times is found in the Info area
Info
General Information about Upcoming Driver Education Sessions:
Brighton High School offers NYS Driver Education through a partnership with Monroe One Educational Services (BOCES). Dates for future sessions are available about a month before the new class begins. New sessions are viewable online as soon as we have received the exact dates from the program coordinator at Monroe One BOCES. Typically, the summer session of Driver Education begins on the first Monday after the Independence Day holiday, the fall session begins on the third Monday of September, the winter session begins on the first Monday of January, and the spring session begins on the first Monday of April. Registration begins on the first or second Tuesday of the month preceding the first day of class. An exception to this rule is the Fall session, when registration does not begin until after the first day of the school year. If you would like to view the BOCES Student Information packet from past sessions for a general idea of what to expect in upcoming sessions, you can find them at bcsd.org/drivereducation.
NYS DRIVER EDUCATION COURSE INFORMATION
Please read this entire class description to avoid missing essential items you need to consider before continuing with your registration. Also, review the Student Information Packet at bcsd.org/drivereducation. This packet contains essential information about New York State's requirements for passing the class and a calendar with exact class dates for each driving group.
Driver & Traffic Safety Education (DTSE) in New York State is a course implemented via a partnership between the New York State Education Department (NYSED) and the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). The Driver Education course aims to educate current high school students (ages 16 or older) about appropriate driving skills and habits, as well as their role in the highway transportation/safety system. Course highlights include 24 hours of classroom instruction and 24 hours of behind-the-wheel training and observation. Students who satisfactorily complete the course can receive the MV-285: Student Certificate of Completion. This certificate allows:
1. A NYS Junior Permit holder to schedule a road test
2. Young drivers may experience a possible reduction in automobile insurance cost (participation is dependent upon insurance provider participation)
3. A 17-year-old to receive a senior license (MV-285 form must be submitted to the local DMV to attain this benefit). Complete information about NYS permits and licensing is available at: Home | NY DMV
This year's Fall class meets from September 22nd to December 3rd, 2025. Lecture classes will be held on Monday and Tuesday Evenings, 7:30 – 9:00 p.m. via ZOOM. All students attend lecture classes at the same time and are required to attend both sessions each week. The four options for Driving Instruction are:
Mondays & Wednesdays: Group A 3:30 – 5:00 p.m. or Group B 5:00 – 6:30 p.m.
Tuesdays and Thursdays: Group C 3:30 - 5:00 p.m. or Group D 5:00 - 6:30 p.m.
You will be asked to rank the groups by preference when you register. Driving Instruction groups meet outside Brighton High School at Door 24, which is near the front bus loop. Each group consists of four student drivers, accompanied by a driving instructor, in a single car. We cannot guarantee your first-choice placement, but we will do our best to accommodate each student's needs. All registrations take place online. Registration starts at 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 9th. The website enrolls students on a FIRST-COME, FIRST-SERVED basis. When many people register at the same time, the class can fill up very quickly. If the class has already reached the maximum number of students when you register, you are strongly encouraged to join the waitlist!!! Registered students might withdraw from the class after finding out they didn't get their preferred choice of driving time, or they have an unexpected conflict arise. If it is possible to move a student from the waitlist into the class, the family will be contacted to verify they are still interested in enrolling in the available driving time.
You do not have to be a Brighton High School student to register, but BHS students are enrolled and assigned a driving time before students from other schools. For this reason, non-BHS students are not charged the class fee at the time of registration. They are contacted by Brighton Community Education if there is room in the class, after all BHS students have been assigned their driving time. The fee for this course is $664. The fee includes a 4.19% administrative service charge for credit card transactions.
A receipt for this payment, along with all email communication, is sent to the email address provided by the main account holder. Parents, if you receive email messages intended for students, please share them with your child. An email from Community Education announcing the driving group assignments is sent a day or two after registration. It may take an extra day to arrive if the director isn't in the office the day after registration starts. If you haven't received an email with a car assignment within a few days of registering, please check your spam folder or any other email addresses that may be affiliated with your account.
After receiving the message confirming your driving group, you must send a copy of your driver's license or learner's permit to Cynthia_Dillard@boces.monroe.edu. You must complete this task within five days of finding out what car you are assigned to. If you do not send this item as directed, you may be withdrawn from the class so another student can enroll.
If you are on the waitlist and do not get offered a place in the class this session, there are other options you can consider, such as waiting to register in a future BHS session or finding another certified NYS Driver Education program (at another public or private high school). We wish we had room for every BHS student, but there aren't enough licensed instructors in our area to meet the needs of all public schools that offer NYS Driver Education programs. If you or someone you know would like more information on becoming a NYS Driver Education instructor, please email mona_zamiarski@bcsd.org for more information.
Thank you for reading all of this essential information!