TRAFFIC EDUCATION

MTEA CONFERENCE

MONTANA DRIVE

Important Senate Bill 300 Information

In May of 2021, Senate Bill 300 became law allowing school districts the ability to offer traffic education courses through an online or distance learning platform to maintain programs across the state during the pandemic. On June 30, 2023, Senate Bill 300 will terminate, requiring traffic education students to be present in a classroom during the classroom portion of a traffic education course. If you have any questions contact Director Nelson at dwight.nelson@mt.gov or 406-422-3944.

Montana Traffic Education Association Conference

April 23-25 in Billings

Plan to attend the annual Montana Traffic Education Conference, hosted by the Montana Traffic Education Association and the Office of Public Instruction. The conference begins Sunday, April 23, 2023, and concludes on Tuesday, April 25, 2023. The conference will take place at the Billings Hotel & Convention Center. The theme for this year's conference is Teaching For Tomorrow: Technology Meets Safety. The main keynote speaker will be Dr. Rick Chromey. All traffic education instructors received MTEA's spring newsletter with a registration form. All attendees must pre-register with MTEA by April 15, 2023, as walk-in registrations will not be allowed. Reserve your room by contacting the hotel early to get the MTEA group discount. The conference fee does not include the college credit fee as attendees may choose to earn up to 15 renewal units which can be used toward your Montana educator license renewal or college credit through MSUN. You may register for college credit or renewal units, but not both. Visit http://mteaonline.org to register, view the conference agenda, speaker biographies, and other conference details.

Register for Montana DRIVE One-Day Workshops

Registration for the adult one-day workshops opened on February 1, 2023. Workshops begin June 5, 2023, and run through August 10, 2023. Teachers, school bus drivers, first responders, firefighters, and drivers of all kinds are invited to register for a one-day summer workshop. Attending Montana DRIVE offers Montana's educators two options for professional development. Only one can be chosen each year. If an educator would like to earn one college credit, they must attend the workshop, stay an extra day to instruct and pay a fee to MSUN. The second option for professional development that Montana DRIVE offers educators is they can earn nine renewal units by attending a one-day workshop. School bus drivers can earn nine training hours by attending a workshop as well. Adult workshops are $345. Montana DRIVE Teen Week is July 17-20, 2023 and registration began March 1, 2023. To register and for more information, visit the website at http://montanadrive.mt.gov. or contact LeAnn Haas at (406) 444-4432.

Contact the Traffic Education Office with questions about state-approved traffic education programs in Montana, becoming a state-approved traffic educator, attending a Montana DRIVE Workshop, or for parent and teen driver education resources.

Call (406) 444-4432 or visit http://opi.mt.gov/DriverEd

The OPI is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to people with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation, require an alternate format, or have questions concerning accessibility, contact the OPI ADA Coordinator, 406-444-3161, opiada@mt.gov, Relay Service: 711.