GOVERNOR'S OFFICE OF HIGHWAY SAFETY IN GEORGIA
CONTACT PHONE (404) 656 6996
OPEN HOURS

Mon-Fri 8am - 5pm

ADDRESS

7 M.L.K. Jr Dr SE #643, Atlanta, GA 30334

GDEC Resources

The Georgia Driver’s Education Commission offers the Georgia Driver’s Education Grant Scholarship Program to offer driver’s education to Georgia students. The grant scholarship program is open to Georgia residents ages fifteen through seventeen who possess a valid Georgia Instructional Permit or Driver’s License and wish to satisfy the Joshua’s Law driver’s education requirement by completing thirty hours of classroom instruction and six hours of behind the wheel driving instruction with an approved instructor.

First priority is given to grant scholarship applicants who are a child or dependent of a Georgia first responder disabled or killed in the line of duty or member of the United States military killed in action and to applicants who are in state custody under the care of the Georgia Department of Family and Children Services. Second priority is given to scholarship applicants who can demonstrate a need based on family income. All of the first priority level applicants are awarded before any of the second priority level applicants are awarded. Additionally, if there are insufficient scholarships for all applicants in any given priority level, award winners are determined at random by computer selection without human selection and scholarships are evenly distributed among Georgia’s United States Congressional Districts. The date of application submission does not affect the outcome of the scholarship award. Scholarships are awarded on the 1st day of each month by 11:59 pm. Notification of award or denial is sent by email. If awarded a scholarship, the award date of the scholarship must be prior to the first day of Instruction or class by the driver training school.

Students are only eligible to apply for a grant scholarship one time. However, If a student’s application is rejected, the application will be reconsidered for the following two months and given priority over new applicants in their respective priority level. No action is needed to be reconsidered. You will be notified by email on the first day of the following month by 11:59 pm with the outcome of the application on the second consideration.

Please note: Scholarships must be awarded before a student begins his/her driver’s education course, so please be mindful of this policy if the student/parent choses pay for a course out of pocket and begin the driver’s education course before the application is reconsidered. Additionally, GDEC does not obligate driver’s education providers to offer a refund for a payment that is made before the grant scholarship decision is made so be sure that you aware of the refund policy of the driving school that you choose.

After an account has been created, an email with credentials and link to login will be sent. If you do not receive the login email in your inbox, please kindly check your spam folder for the email.

To report fraud or abuse, please email a brief description along with contact information to gdec@gohs.ga.gov.

If you are a Georgia Driver’s Education Grant Scholarship Program authorized providers, click on the link below to enter enroll students by entering redemption codes and submitting invoices. Use the username and password sent to you by the Georgia Driver’s Education Commission to login.

To become a Provider please click here to submit your request.

Q: How will I know if my application is approved or denied?
A: Grant scholarships will be awarded monthly. Grant scholarship awards and denials will be issued on the 1st of each month and will be sent by electronic email.

Q: How many times can I apply for a Grant Scholarship?
A: Students are only eligible to apply for a grant scholarship one time. However, If a student’s application is rejected, the application will be reconsidered for the following two months and given priority over new applicants in their respective priority level. No action is needed to be reconsidered. You will be notified by email on the first day of the following month by 11:59 pm with the outcome of the application on the second consideration.

Q: What age does a student have to be to be eligible for a Grant Scholarship?
A: The student must be between the ages of fifteen and seventeen and possess a valid Georgia instructional driving permit or driver’s license at the time of submitting the scholarship application.

Q: If a student is approved for the scholarship, but the parent already paid for the driver’s education course, can they be reimbursed?
A: The scholarship must be awarded prior to the start date of the driver’s education course. If the driver’s education course has already been paid for by the student and the student is awarded a scholarship but training not yet begun, it is at the driver training school’s discretion to refund the fees paid or apply the fees already paid to additional services offered by the driver training school. 

Q: May I use the scholarship for only behind the wheel training or only classroom training?

A: Scholarships are only valid for students who agree to complete a standard 30/6 driver’s education course in which the student receives a minimum of thirty (30) hours of classroom training and six (6) hours of behind the wheel training. Additionally, the student’s parent or guardian must agree to complete forty (40) hours of supervised driving with the student.

Q: May I use the scholarship for online training?

A: No. Scholarships may only be applied toward a standard 30/6 driver’s education course in which the student receives a minimum of 30 hours of classroom instruction and 6 hours of behind the wheel instruction. Classroom instruction means in-person training conducted by an approved instructor. During the ongoing pandemic response, driver training schools may utilize remote services for classroom instruction including Skype, Zoom, Web Ex and other platforms for live instruction. Traditional online, self-paced, driver training programs are not allowed. 

Q: May I request an extension to my scholarship deadlines?

A: Grant Scholarship awardees must identify the provider of choice from a list of authorized

providers and redeem the grant scholarship with the provider within 30 days of the grant

scholarship award notice. Further, the driver’s education course must be completed within 180 days of the grant scholarship award date. Students and providers may request a one-time 60 day extension of the course completion deadline. Requests for additional extensions will require a note from a physician necessitating the addition time extension.

***COVID-19 Extensions: During the COVID-19 pandemic, students and providers may request an additional 90 days to complete the driver’s education course. However, scholarships must be redeemed within 30 days from the award date even if the course start date is after the 30 day redemption deadline.

Q: What is my vendor number that is requested on the Vendor Management Form?

A: Your driver training school’s vendor number will be assigned when your paperwork is processed. Leave this field blank.

Q: What is E-verify and what is my Federal Work User Identification Number?

A: E-Verify is a web-based system that allows enrolled employers to confirm the eligibility of their employees to work in the United States. E-Verify employers verify the identity and employment eligibility of newly hired employees by electronically matching information provided by employees on the Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, against records available to the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

 

The State of Georgia requires contractors to participate in the E-verify Program. Learn more at https://www.e-verify.gov/

 

Your Federal Work User Identification Number is an all-numeric identification number consisting of 4-7 digits. The Federal Work User Identification Number is not the same as a the FEI Number (Federal Employer Identification Number)

Q: May a student use the scholarship for only behind the wheel training or only classroom training?

A: Scholarships are only valid for students who agree to complete a standard 30/6 driver’s education course in which the student receives a minimum of thirty (30) hours of classroom training and six (6) hours of behind the wheel training. Additionally, the student’s parent or guardian must agree to complete forty (40) hours of supervised driving with the student. Providers, at their peril, may issue separate certificates for the thirty (30) hours of classroom training and six (6) hours if behind the wheel training as the student completes each portion of the driver training course.

The Georgia Driver’s Education Commission released an Executive Summary and Final Report containing key findings of the evaluation of the Georgia Driver’s Education Grant Scholarship Program and Joshua’s Law. This evaluation examined the impact of the Georgia Driver’s Education Scholarship Program, differences of driver training school outcomes based on provider types, effectiveness of methods used to satisfy Joshua’s Law, and the impact of delayed licensure.

Click HERE for the Executive Summary

Click HERE for the Final Report

The Georgia Driver’s Education Commission is comprised of eight members representing a cross-section of driver’s education stakeholders. The State Board of Education appoints one member of the commission, the Georgia Department of Driver Services appoints two members of the commission and the director of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety appoints one member of the commission. The remaining four members of the commission are appointed by the Governor, two of whom shall be public school driver’s education providers and the other two shall be private driver’s education providers.

 

Allen Poole, Chairman
Director, Governor’s Office of Highway Safety

 

Spencer R. Moore, Vice Chairman
Commissioner, Georgia Department of Driver Services

 

Dr. Malika Reed Wilkins

Chief External Affairs & Strategy Officer, Atlanta Regional Commission

 

vacant
State Board of Education

 

Kathy L Watts

Owner, New London School of Driving
Represents a Private Driver’s Education Provider

J. Barry Schrenk

Owner, Taggart’s Driving School
Represents a Private Driver’s Education Provider

Dr. Andrea Daniel

President, Athens Technical College
Represents a Public Driver’s Education Provider

vacant
Represents a Public Driver’s Education Provider

The Georgia Driver’s Education Commission is scheduled to meet on Thursday, September 19, 2024 at 1:30 p.m..  The meeting will take place at the Georgia Department of Driver Services , 2206 East View Parkway Conyers, Georgia.  The public is welcome to attend. 

Pages from 9-19-2024 GDEC Agenda and Meeting Documents (002)

The GDEC Meeting Schedule for State of Georgia Fiscal Year 2025:
December 10, 2024
March 11, 2025
June 11, 2025

*All Meetings are held at the Georgia Driver’s Education Commission unless otherwise noted.* 

June 18, 2024 (Meeting Agenda)

March 19, 2023 (Meeting Agenda)

December 14, 2023 (Meeting canceled)

September 21, 2023 (Meeting Agenda)

June 20, 2023 (Meeting Agenda)

 

March 21, 2023 (Meeting Agenda)

December 13, 2022  (Meeting Agenda/ Minutes)

September 27, 2022 (Meeting Agenda)

June 10, 2022   (Meeting Agenda)

May 23, 2022 Public Hearing Transcript

May 10, 2022 Called Meeting (Meeting Minutes) (Meeting Agenda)

April 11, 2022 (Meeting Minutes) (Meeting Agenda)

December 15, 2021 (Meeting Minutes(Meeting Agenda)

September 30, 2021 (Meeting Minutes)

June 22, 2021 (Meeting Minutes)

March 23, 2021 (Meeting Notes)

December 21, 2020 (Meeting Minutes)

September 22, 2020 (Meeting Minutes)

June 23, 2020 (Agenda)

March 31, 2020 (Agenda)

December 17, 2019 (Meeting Minutes)

September 30, 2019 (Meeting Minutes)

June 28, 2019 (Meeting Minutes)

March 26, 2019 (Meeting Minutes)

December 20, 2018 (Meeting Minutes)

September 27, 2018 (Meeting Minutes)

June 26, 2018 (Meeting Minutes)

March 27, 2018 (Meeting Minutes)

December 21, 2017 (Meeting Minutes)

September 26, 2017 (Meeting Minutes)

June 26, 2017 (Meeting Minutes)

March 21, 2017 (Meeting Minutes)

November 16, 2016 (Meeting Minutes)

September 26, 2016 (Meeting Minutes)

May 24, 2016 (Meeting Minutes)

May 24, 2016 Public Hearing (Meeting Minutes)

April 20, 2016 (Meeting Minutes)

March 16, 2016 (Meeting Minutes)

November 10, 2015 (Meeting Minutes)

September 15, 2015 (Meeting Minutes)

June 29, 2015 (Meeting Minutes)

April 30, 2015 (Meeting Minutes)

March 9, 2015 (Meeting Minutes)

Georgia Driver’s Education Commission 7 Martin Luther King, Jr., Drive, Suite 643, Atlanta, GA 30334 Phone: 404-656-2769 Email: gdec@gohs.ga.gov