2026 Fall Driver's Education Course

                                                                                        2026 Drivers’ Education  

                                                                                            Program Information 

Minnesota requires minors begin their Driver Education by completing 30 hours of classroom instruction. We  offer classroom instruction several times throughout the year and try to accommodate the students and their  activities.  

Students should be 15 within two months of the start date of the classroom session they want to attend. Students  may be asked to wait for a later class if they are registering too far ahead of their 15th birthday. 

• If you have a student who is not 15 within 2-months of the start of class, we can put them on a waitlist and if the class does not fill, we will call those on the waitlist in birth date order. 
• There is a 90 minute supplemental parent meeting, “Point of Impact”, and a 40 hour mandated  supervised driving log, 15 hours of which are nighttime hours are required. One parent or guardian  must attend this meeting. If parents do not participate in the “Point of Impact” presentation, the  supervised driving log must show 50 hours of driving time, 15 hours of which are nighttime hours.  

Class will be held at the TCU High School Room B115 Computer Lab off of the TCU School Concession Stand and Commons Area along with the Point of Impact Parent meeting. Enter through the main school doors and go across the Commons Area towards the  concession stand. Students will be notified on their student email of any changes to class or learning model if needed. Any students and/or parents that need additional classroom accommodations, please contact TCU Community Education Director Layne Wilbright, lwilbright@tcu2905.us. 

Fall Session

• October 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 3:15 - 6:15PM
• November 2, 3 (Election Day, class will end by 6:00PM), 4, 5, 6 3:15 - 6:15PM

Parent Meeting: Tuesday, October 27th, 6:30 - 8:00PM 

Instructor: Don Marcussen, dmarcussen@tcu2905.us 

Registrations will be taken on-line at: https://tcu2905.arux.app/ then click on Driver’s Education link at the bottom of the page. Note: We’ve switched on-line registration software systems. If you haven’t done so already, you’ll need to create a new account prior to registering.

As mandated by the state, when you register for Driver’s Ed. classroom you will be automatically registered for  Behind the Wheel. The total cost of our program will be $395 (for TCU students) and the total will be due upon  registering for the class. The total fee must accompany the registration form. Space is limited and classes fill  quickly. Students and families are asked to plan carefully as attendance is required at all classes. 

Students must attend all sessions as the state requires 30 hours of seat time for this class. The only excused reasons to miss a class are illness or a family emergency such as a funeral and only one absence is allowed even with these situations, make-up work must be done. Please do not ask to miss for any other reason.  No other absences will be granted! Hunting, vacations, sports or other optional activities are not valid excuses. Any program change is totally at the discretion of the session instructor, and additional charges may be made if the  instructor has to put in extra time for makeup. Be sure your student is on time, prepared and has made transportation arrangements to and from the class  site. Students please bring your chromebook, DE manual, paper and pencil to class. 

Taking this program is a privilege and inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated. There will also be work  assigned that must be completed for the course. Students must understand that the instructor has the right to  withhold your blue card if your work is not complete or if behavior is unacceptable. Students must also realize  that state law mandates you attend all 30 hours of the class.  

Please contact John Schmiesing, Driver’s Education Coordinator with any questions jschmiesing@tcu2905.us

After successful completion of the classroom training, the student will be given their E- Blue Card electronically via email as physical cards are no longer issued. This E-Blue Card must  be presented when the permit test is taken. E- Blue Cards are critical requirements of the Drivers’ Training  process. Students/parents who misplace/delete the E- Blue Card will be charged a $5 replacement fee. 

Permit tests are offered at several places. Students must show two forms of ID when taking the permit test. A  certified birth certificate (not from the hospital) and social security card are two usual forms of ID. The social  security card must be signed, but not laminated. After obtaining their permit, students can drive with their  parents or other adults over 21. Information for all exam stations is found on the DVS website at dvs.dps.mn.gov. On the right side of the page click on the Driver & Vehicle Services Office Locations Map. Enter the address or zip code of your location, and check the appropriate test box below. Exam stations will be populated by those in closest proximity to the zip code or address entered.

Behind the Wheel

When you pay the full amount for the classroom, this fee also covers Behind the Wheel. Our three Instructors will provide a Sign-Up Genius Link for scheduling Behind the Wheel in early Spring for BTW summer driving. We do take a few students for fall and spring Behind the Wheel at the availability of our Instructors based on their schedules. We do not drive over the winter. Students should have at least 10 hours driving experience with a licensed adult completed prior to scheduling Behind the Wheel.  If you miss a scheduled time for your BTW  training and do not notify the instructor, there is a $50 fee for the missed time. You will need to pay this at the TCU Community Education office before you get your E-white card. The E-white card is issued/emailed when BTW is completed and is a person’s ticket to go take their BTW test at the state along with completion of 40-50 hours of driving with a licensed adult. 

Registrations are preferred to be done on-line. You  may register online; go to Community Education to the registration page https://tcu2905.arux.app/.  If a paper registration is needed or you have questions regarding Driver’s Education, please contact the TCU Community Education office at 507-364-8107. Sessions are filled on a first come first served basis. Refunds  must be requested at least one week before the class begins, and no refunds will be given after this date.