Durham Public Schools to suspend drivers ed after cyberattack on US pipeline
Durham Public Schools is suspending all in-car driver education courses amid an ongoing shutdown of one of the nation’s largest fuel pipelines.
The halt on classes will begin May 12 and continue until further notice, the county said in a news release Tuesday. Ordinarily, the classes allow Durham students who are 14-and-a-half or older to receive behind-the-wheel instruction.
The decision comes after Gov. Roy Cooper signed an executive order Monday declaring a state of emergency in North Carolina. The governor’s order also suspends motor vehicle fuel regulations in an effort to ensure supplies last throughout the state.
The Colonial Pipeline, a 5,500-mile gas pipeline in the eastern United States, temporarily paused its operations over the weekend after it learned it had been the subject of a cyberattack.
Experts have said fuel shortages occurring at gas stations around the state are likely the result of panic buying, rather than an effect of the shutdown, The News & Observer has reported.
Colonial Pipeline said it hopes to restore operations “substantially” later this week, The N&O reported.
Administrators at DPS are continuing to monitor the situation in case any other responses are deemed necessary, the release said.
