Bill links school, driver’s license

South Carolina students who drop out of school or rack up 10 unexcused absences in one school year could lose their driver’s licenses under a bill pending in the General Assembly.

The bill is intended to drive home two points, its sponsor said.

“Graduating from high school is essential, and driving is a privilege,” said state Sen. Jim Ritchie, R-Spartanburg, who is co-sponsoring the bill with state Sen. Glenn Reese, D-Spartanburg.

The measure is set for action at today’s Senate Transportation Committee meeting.

If it were to become law, 15- to 18-year-olds would have to stay in school to keep their learner’s permits, restricted driver’s licenses or driver’s licenses.

In South Carolina, a student can legally drop out of school at age 17. But if the bill becomes law, these students will lose their licenses until they turn 18.

Younger students, ages 15 and 16, would also be affected. If they had 10 unexcused absences in one school year, they also would lose their licenses.

A dropout could get his or her license back by re-enrolling in school or a high school equivalency program.

Chris Olsen of Gaston said he was not sure if such a law would have stopped him from leaving school three years ago. He is 20 now and works with his father, installing woodwork in houses.

“It may have made a difference,” said Olsen, who plans to earn his GED, then attend college. “If I hadn’t had my license, there would have been no way I could have gotten back and forth to work.”

Such “no pass, no drive” laws, as they are commonly called, are not a new concept. At least 19 states, mainly in the South and East, have their versions of the rule, according to the Education Commission of the States.

Still, South Carolinians are split on whether it’s a good idea for the Palmetto State.

“I disagree for the most part, because it no longer gives us that choice to make on our own — as individuals,” said Arlene Davis, a senior at Spring Valley High School, who will graduate this spring.

Last school year, 6,224 S.C. students, or 3.3 percent of high school students, dropped out, according to the state Department of Education.

The proposed change could hurt employers who hire laborers who do not have high school diplomas, said Wespy Kerr, owner of Kerr Construction in Columbia.

“There’s a lot of contractors out there who use even skilled labor that aren’t high school graduates,” Kerr said. “Just because you drop out of high school, that’s not the end of the road. There are ways to make money.”

A typical area laborer without a high school diploma would earn about $8.50 per hour, Kerr said.

While the proposed measure would affect the vast majority of 15- to 18-year old students, there would be two major exemptions:

• Students who financially support their families

• Students with a sick family member who provide the sole transportation. For instance, that could include a student who drives his or her parent to dialysis or chemotherapy.

The measure makes sense to Cullen Chen, a sophomore at Spring Valley High School who is on track to graduate.

“I am with the bill 100 percent,” Chen said. “South Carolina’s standardized test scores being fairly low, we should encourage education in the state and keep students in school.”

The measure has the backing of the state Department of Education.

The S.C. School Board Association also believes the bill has merit and is checking the success rate of similar laws in other states.

It also is checking whether it is legal to give student attendance records to the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Even if it is legal, the measure upsets parent Gail Gieseking, who has two students at A.C. Flora High School in Forest Acres.

While Geiseking’s children are on course to graduate, she said it’s not up to the state to punish children.

“That would be a parental responsibility. It seems there’s other ways other than having the DMV or the state take your license away.”

Nationwide, debate persists on whether such laws are effective at keeping students in the classroom.

In Kentucky, the state Supreme Court struck down the state’s no-pass, no-drive law in December because some school districts opted not to use it.

Opponents also pointed out that while the state had denied or revoked teenagers’ driver’s licenses nearly 23,000 times since 1996, Kentucky’s average dropout rate for high schools held at 4 to 5 percent during the last decade.

Some S.C. educators say a better way is to combine the punitive law with programs to keeping students stay in school.

“I don’t think it addresses the social issues of why there is truancy and dropout,” said Eric Schell, director of student services for Lexington 2, of the bill.

“I fear that we’ll move in a direction that’s totally punitive and not help kids and their families. It’s a lot harder and costs a lot more to help them.”

Reach Smith at (803) 771-8378 or gnsmith@thestate.com