In September of 2004, the Department of Motor Vehicles issued a set of guidelines for Internet and "paper-based" study courses. Be aware that almost ALL of the on-line and home study courses are, while not illegal, NOT regulated. Make sure you look for, and ensure, that ANY course you take over the Internet or "Private High School" has been APPROVED , not just ACCEPTED  by the DMV. The DMV is forced, by a quirk in the law, to ACCEPT certificates of completion, even if NO LEARNING HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED!

Home Study and Internet courses, for Driver Education, from a so-called Private High School, are not regulated, nor are they approved, by either the Department of Education or the Department of Motor Vehicles. This means that ANYONE can piece together ANYTHING, and call it Driver Education, without worrying about any consequences.

The ones that currently exist, do so by filling out an affidavit and declaring themselves to be a "Private High School" (PHS). A PHS is only required to "offer" the same courses as a high school, not necessarily teach them. Many of these so-called PHS's simply operate out of a small office or home, where one simple bookshelf holds a textbook (in one case I saw, photocopies of texts!) on each "subject" to be offered. Just try to visit one of them and ask to see their classroom.

There is no requirement to meet ANY form of teaching standards; any person, YOU included, can open a PHS within a matter of days. One local home study is operated by a person with a contractor and pest-control license, and claims to have "taught" over 30,000 teens!

If you visit one of their sites, look for "Operating Under xxx High School", or another "educational facility". Due to a 2003 court case (Jackson v Gourley) , the DMV is forced to accept these PHS Certificates of Completion, NOT because they are recognized, even by the courts, but because of the very fact that there IS no regulatory authority over them. (You can read this case summary by clicking on the link above. Highlighted sections are mine, and refer to the primary issues.

Obviously, you are purchasing a product when you pay for Driver Education, and as a buyer, you have the right to purchase anything, from anyone, as you see fit. We would remind you, however, that ; nationwide, teenagers are dying, at a rate of almost 6,000 per year (2002 statistics), and going the cheap-and-easy route isn't going to improve those figures.

If you go to a Driving School that has been licensed by the DMV, you will be able to meet and talk with the state-licensed instructor, see the curriculum that they use, and make yourself comfortable with the learning environment your teen is going to enter. Try THAT with an Internet or Home-Study provider.