Rochester Public Schools pairs students with law enforcement for driving experience

Jordan Shearer, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.
·4 min read

May 14—ROCHESTER — Over two weeks, 15-year-old Ari Pelissero-Wilkes would stay late at Century High School for an extra three hours. It made for long days, but it allowed him to gain the classroom instruction he needed to get his driver's permit without leaving school.

Not everyone has had that chance. But since the spring of 2022, Rochester Public Schools has been hosting driver's education for a select number of students.

But the school district isn't just providing them with the classroom experience. The district is also partnering with the Rochester Police Department to help students get the practice hours they need behind the wheel before getting their license later on.

Overall, the program's goal is to help remove barriers that some students face when accessing their own transportation.

"I thought it was a great opportunity. I'm a single mom of three kids," Ari's mother, Maureen Pelissero, said. "This was an affordable way to get him into driver's ed."

On Friday night, May 10, students and their parents gathered at Century High School for the completion of the classroom hours, meaning they are now ready to take the written test necessary to get their driver's permit.

For about 90 minutes, driving instructor Chris Jones spoke about any final details the students would need to know about how to get their permit and then log their actual hours on the road. He emphasized to parents that they should ease their new drivers into the skill: Don't go downtown right away — avoid the one-way streets, the hordes of pedestrians and the Lime scooters buzzing around.

"That's not easing into it," he said about the hectic environment in the city center.

Since it began, RPS has ushered 450 students through the program. The demand has been even higher. Of the 60 students who applied for the most recent course at Century, roughly half were accepted.

The district uses a weighted system to evaluate who gets a spot. Students with barriers are given higher priority, such as those who are homeless, or those who qualify for free and reduced lunch. Lida Casper, coordinator of community partnerships for RPS, said the program is meant to help students who wouldn't otherwise have the means to get their license.

That was the case for Angie Sanchez's twin daughters, Kimberly and Danaris, who finished their classroom hours in November when the course was being held at Mayo High School.

"I couldn't have done it without the program," Sanchez said. "They would have waited until they were 18."

On top of the lottery, Lucy Baril, the director of the district's driver's education program, interviews students. Students also submit an essay for consideration. One student described how they've paid for their own food and clothes since they were 14, and that getting into the program would be the first step toward establishing a safer environment.

"If I had a car, I could live in it if I was ever kicked out," the student wrote. "I feel ready for the responsibility and for better or worse, I need this to survive as an adult — to get to work, to get to safety if need be."

One of the students who completed the driver's ed program in November used her essay to describe how she was in her second trimester of pregnancy, and that being able to get her permit would be a benefit to her future child.

"I want to be an involved and present mother, and having the ability to drive would make that possible," the student wrote.

As beneficial as it may be, it's not a guaranteed program in the school district. It's been funded through grants up until now, meaning it's been an ongoing battle to maintain a funding source.

Now that they've completed their classroom hours and are ready to take the written test for their permit, they'll spend time racking up their practice hours with people they know: parents, older siblings, grandparents, whoever they can find with a license.

But the program allows them to practice with a member of the Rochester Police Department, if they need it. Cameron Jackson, a school resource officer at Mayo High School, described it as "a great opportunity to connect with the community and the next generation of drivers."

Casper explained the partnership with RPD is another effort to try to remove barriers for students. Although many students have access to a licensed driver who can help them learn, that's not the case for everyone. Some students come from immigrant families with no access to a vehicle. Some students may not have parents with a driver's license.

One of the parents at Century Friday night said it's also a good way for young people to become comfortable around law enforcement.

"I think it teaches them safe skills and that they can feel safe with the police present," Endia Clark said. "Because when you get pulled over, it's scary your first time."