In Tennessee, compulsory attendance laws are tied with driver licenses. If a student misses 10 unexcused days of school in a row or has 15 unexcused days during a semester, then the school is required to send a letter to the State Dept. of Transportation, who will revoke the student’s ability to receive a learner’s permit.
In addition, the student must be enrolled in high school and passing at least 3 classes. If the student meets these criteria, he or she needs to have the principal fill out their SF1010 form, as proof, and bring it to their learner’s permit test.
Since car crashes is the main cause of death among 15 to 20 year-olds, young adults are no longer allowed to simply take a driving test at 16 to get their license (like when I was young). They must go through the Graduated Driver License Program, which has 4 levels:
- Learner’s Permit
- Intermediate Restricted License
- Intermediate Unrestricted License
- Normal Class D License
I’ll discuss the steps and then the restrictions on each.
The steps:
1) Learners Permit
- Must be at least 15 years of age
- Must pass a vision test
- Must pass a knowledge test
- Must have a parent (or legal guardian with proof of guardianship) sign a minor/teenage affidavit and financial responsibility form.
- Must provide a letter from their school, signed by a principal or guidance counselor, confirming attendance/progress
- Must Provide Other Required Documents: http://www.tn.gov/safety/driverlicense/gdl.htm#docs
2) Intermediate Restricted License
- must be sixteen (16) years old and pass the driving test.
- must have held a learner permit for 180 days.
- must not have tickets for driving offenses that add up to more than six (6) points on your driving record during the immediate 180 days preceding your application.
- must have verification from a parent, legal guardian or licensed driving instructor stating they have fifty hours (ten hours at night) of driving experience. Here’s the form: http://www.tn.gov/safety/forms/gdl50hrcertificate.pdf
3) Intermediate Unrestricted License
- must be 17 years old
- must have held an Intermediate Restricted License for one (1) year.
- must not have accumulated more than six points on their driving record.
- Must not have had a traffic accident that was their fault.
- Must not have 2 seat belt violations.
- No additional tests are required.
Restrictions:
1) Learners Permit Restrictions:
- must be accompanied by a license driver 21 years or older who is riding in the front seat of the vehicle.
- must not drive between the hours of 10 P.M. and 6 A.M.
2) Intermediate Restricted License Restrictions:
- Only one passenger allowed in car unless:
- 1 passenger is 21 of older and has valid driver license,
- or all passengers are siblings going from driver’s house to school or vica-versa
- Cannot drive between 11:00pm – 6:00am unless:
- accompanied by a parent/guardian (or a licensed driver over 21 who has parent’s written consent).
- Driving to or from work or specific school sponsored activities*
- Hunting or fishing between 4:00am to 6:00am with a valid hunting or fishing license (I like this one. We are in the South after all.)
* These items require written permission from the parent/guardian explaining each specific situation.
3) Intermediate Unrestricted License Restrictions:
- No special restrictions
- At 18, they are eligible for normal license
More Resources:
More info about applying: http://www.tn.gov/safety/dlhandbook/07chap2.pdf
More info about License Levels: http://www.tn.gov/safety/dlhandbook/07chap3.pdf
Although the Independence dress code is readily available on the school’s website, I wanted to point out a few details.
For the most part, the dress code is very reasonable. The only strict items seem to be:
1) Students are not allowed to wear hats, or anything on their heads, inside of the school building, including before school.
2) For female students, the length of dresses, skirts, or shorts must be no shorter than 6 inches above the knee. (This seems short compared to when I was in high school.) Of course, it’s important to keep this rule in mind when picking out shorts.
3) Also for female students, crop tops and tank tops are not allowed. The strap must be wider than a dollar bill.
4) Students are only allowed to wear piercings in their ears (interestingly it doesn’t say only females). Covering piercings with band-aids or other methods isn’t allowed.
5) Finally, students aren’t allowed to wear any shirts are promoting profanity, alcohol, tobacco, or drugs or are otherwise offensive; they also are not allowed to wear sexually suggestive clothing, particularly Coed Naked shirts, Big Johnson shirts, or Hooters shirts.
To see the full dress code go to page 21 at: http://www.wcs.edu/ihs/attendance/forms/Handbook0910.pdf
Williamson County provides an online zoning tool rather than a zoning map. In order to find your child’s schools:
1) Go to http://edweb.wcs.edu/edulog/webquery/
2) Type in the number and street name of your address, for example “2265 Dewey Dr”.
3) To the right, middle of the page, select your child’s grade, or leave it on all to see all the schools you are zoned for.
4) Click “Go”.
To determine if you’re in the zone for Independence High School, go to Williamson County Schools Zoning.
To find home improvement cost estimates, click on the category. Then, find the “Section” drop down menu to see sub-categories of home repair and homes improvement.
Independence’s 2009/2010 hours are 7:30 to 2:37.
Students are asked to be at the bus stop at least 5 minutes before the pickup time.
To Find Your Child’s Bus Stop and Time, go to Williamson County Bus Stops and Times.
The Credit Repair Organizations Act is a little difficult to read; however, all of the actions that the credit repair companies are legally required to perform are in italics. Here a link to the act: http://www.ftc.gov/os/statutes/croa/croa.shtm
It’s also a good idea to get a copy of your credit reports so that you can monitor the progress of any company you hire. Here’s How to Get Your Free Annual Credit Reports.
