As part of my duties as Director of Pupil Personnel, I am responsible for enforcing KRS 159.051, better known as No PASS, NO DRIVE. When 16 and 17 year old students get their permit, the parent/guardian signs acknowledging they understand this law. The law states that a student cannot have more than one “F” and cannot have “6 or more” unexcused absences in the preceding trimester. This past year, we had an alarming number of students that did not perform to meet these minimum requirements. In fact, I have taken over 20 licenses this summer. If you receive a letter from the Kentucky Division of Motor Vehicles in the next week or so, this is what has happened. There is no need to try and get doctor’s notes as this year has been closed out! We are in the process of submitting end of year data to Kentucky Department of Education. So, how does a student get them back? The student has to get back in compliance and maintain that for the first trimester of the 2019-2020 school year. In other words, the student cannot accumulate 6 unexcused absences/tardies and must pass 4 out of 5 classes in the first trimester next year. I hope this clears up any confusion and feel free to contact me if you still have concerns.
Sincerely,
Dickie Arthur
Director of Pupil Personnel/Safe Schools
Estill County Schools