Minnesota law approves home school parents to teach the classroom portion of driver education to students under the age of 18 when the student is receiving full-time instruction in a home school, within the meaning of Minn. Stat., sections 120A.22 and 120A.24, the student is working toward a home-school diploma and the student is using driver training classroom materials approved by Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS). 

Only full-time homeschool students defined in Minnesota statute are eligible to complete classroom driver education using department approved curriculum. Students who attend online school, e-learning or a charter school, or students who are homebound, do not meet the definition of home school students. They are not eligible to complete the classroom portion at home.  

Please contact driver.educaton@state.mn.us for approved curriculum sources. 

To provide the classroom portion of driver education, you must meet the following requirements: 

1. Your child must be at least 14 years of age.
2. You must comply with the Minnesota rules governing classroom instruction. Attached are a summary of these rules and a list of pre-approved textbooks and other resources that you may use along with the Minnesota Driver’s Manual. If you wish to use classroom materials other than those on the list, you must contact this office for approval.
3. When your child has finished the required 30 hours of classroom instruction, complete the Home School Driver’s Education Affidavit and mail, email or fax it to the Office of Driver Education.  
4. Upon receipt of your completed affidavit, a letter of completion will be sent to you. The letter of completion will not be sent more than 30 days before your child’s 15th birthday. You must present this document to the behind-the-wheel instruction provider, aka driving school, to obtain a Certificate of Enrollment (blue card) for your student. The blue card, along with a primary and a secondary form of identification, must be presented before taking the knowledge test. Your child must be at least 15 years of age to take the knowledge test. Please refer to the Minnesota Driver’s Manual for acceptable forms of identification. After your child has passed the knowledge test, he or she may apply for an instruction permit.
5. In order to take the road test your child must: 
   1. Be at least 16 years old and have held an instruction permit for at least six months with no convictions for moving violations or alcohol/controlled substance violations.
   2. Have completed driver's education and have the white course completion card. 
   3. Present a supervised driving log verifying that they have driven under the supervision of a licensed driver at least 21 years of age, for not less than 50 hours, at least 15 of which were at night; or if a parent/guardian completes the parent class and submits a certificate of completion to the driver exam staff at the time of the road test, 40 hours, 15 of which were at night.
   4. The parent, court appointed guardian, county appointed foster parent or director of the transitional living program in which the child resides must approve the driver’s license application.

Curriculum for driver education programs

Summary of Minnesota Rules, part 7411.0515

An instructor conducting classroom instruction must use a written classroom curriculum guide (textbook). 

The instructor must be physically present with the student during classroom instruction to instruct as well as to address the questions and comments of the student. 

A student must receive a minimum of 30 hours of classroom instruction, with no more than three hours of class per day. 

The curriculum presented to the student must include at least the following:

• Decision-making analysis and assessment.
• Information on the effects of alcohol, illegal drugs, prescription drugs, and nonprescription drugs on a person’s ability to drive.
• Legal penalties and financial consequences of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. • Passenger restraint usage.
• Roadway characteristics.
• Vehicle speed under different driving conditions.
• State traffic laws (the Minnesota Driver’s Manual will suffice).
• Vehicle ownership, leasing, insurance, and maintenance.
• Driver’s attitudes and emotions and their effect on safety.
• Safe interaction with bicycles, pedestrians, commercial motor vehicles, and non-motorized vehicles. 
• Driver’s responsibility when around school buses and penalties for violating school bus laws (at least 30 minutes).
• Safety at railroad-highway grade crossings.
• The physics involving tires, traction, braking, and accelerating.
• Characteristics of both conventional and antilock (ABS) brake systems.
• Information about becoming an organ donor (30 minutes).
• Information on the dangers and risks of carbon monoxide poisoning from an idling vehicle.