OBTAINING A DRIVERS PERMIT

Arkansas now has graduated licenses for beginning drivers:

• Learner License – This can be obtained between the ages of 14-16 after passing a written, road, and vision test. Restrictions state that all passengers must be wearing seat belts and that the driver must be accompanied by a licensed driver over the age of 21.
• Intermediate License – These are issued to students between the ages of 16-18, providing that they have had no serious traffic accidents or violations in the past 6 months.
• Regular License – This is issued once the student turns 18, providing they have had no serious traffic accidents or violations in the past 12 months.

A free driver manual study book can be obtained from the local State Police Office.

To obtain a Driver’s Permit (Learner License), you will need to provide the following documentation:

• A NOTARIZED COPY of your “Intent to Homeschool” form (NOTE: no superintendent's signature or school seal is required). The notarization section of the Intent Form will only apply to a copy of the Intent Form and only for those who have a homeschool child that will be pursuing the written portion of their drivers license this year. The copy of the “Notice of Intent” should be notarized before a Notary Public. Notaries can be found at banks, law offices, insurance companies (secretaries), and many churches (secretaries). Although not a part of the law, often the State Police will want the document notarized within 24 hours of taking the written drivers test - they want proof that you are CURRENTLY homeschooling. Therefore, you may want to delay any notarization until just before taking the drivers test.
• Birth Certificate (original, not a copy).
• You will also need a parent or legal guardian to sign forms. The test can be taken as many times as is needed to pass, but only once per day.

DRIVERS EDUCATION
Homeschool students wishing to take Driver’s Education have several options:

• Private schools often offer summer classes which accept home school students based on space availability.
• Private companies offer Driver’s Ed courses (check your local Yellow Pages)
• Home study Driver’s Ed courses are also available (www.nationaldrivertraining.com or www.driveredtraining.com). Be sure that you obtain certificate of completion for these courses so that you can receive insurance discounts.

INSURANCE
Some (but not all) insurance companies give discounts for Driver’s Ed. Be sure that you have a certificate of completion as proof.

Many insurance companies offer discounts for good grades. They will require a recent standardized test score (SAT 9, PSAT, ACT, SAT) or transcript as proof of class standing or grade point.