Good teachers don’t need state standards to figure out what kids need to learn. Flandreau driver educator Wylie Scalise took the initiative to improve his students’ curriculum by including a practice traffic stop with a real cop:
Working in partnership with the Moody County Sheriff’s Office, the Flandreau Police Department and the Flandreau Sioux Tribal Police Department, Scalise’s students are pulled over during their lessons, allowing them the space to learn how to act during a traffic stop.
Scalise said that he got the idea for the practice traffic stops when he was speaking with a parent a few years ago whose child was pulled over.
The child chose to pull away from law enforcement and led them on a high speed chase, leading to their arrest and multiple charges, Scalise said.
“That kind of got me thinking maybe we need to train the kids how to do (a traffic stop),” he explained.
…When Scalise approached Wellman about his idea, he said it made sense to participate.
“I have people that are in their middle ages when we pull them over and say, ‘Well, I’ve never been pulled over and don’t know what to do,’” he said. “If we can teach them that as they’re going through driver’s ed, it lessens the panic” [Annie Todd, “Flandreau Driver’s Education Teacher Takes New Approach to Teaching,” Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 2022.07.25].
Scalise didn’t read any list of standards approved by state bureaucrats—let alone any out-of-state fascist propaganda imposed by the Governor—to figure out what his students need to learn. Good teachers get good ideas from talking with students and teachers, identifying gaps in knowledge that the teachers can fill, and then getting creative and trying new lessons to meet those new objectives.
Of course, any lesson can be improved. While Scalise’s traffic-stop training appears to focus on teaching young drivers what to expect and how to comply with officers’ directions, the ACLU reminds us that education on our responsibilities in interaactions with police should come with education on our rights:
Janna Farley, the communications director for the South Dakota ACLU, wrote in an emailed statement that students should know their rights when they get pulled over. The organization has a list of resources for drivers and what they should be aware of, including the right to remain silent and not consenting to an unlawful search of one’s vehicle [Todd, 2022.07.25].
Alas, adding a “Know Your Rights” component to driver’s ed will be upto some other good, creative South Dakota teacher. Todd reports that innovator Scalise is leaving Flandreau for Alaska.
His first word of cautioin to students who get pulled over is to know your rights. If the cop asked you why you were pulled over, don’t answer. In fact you don’t have to say anything. Anything you say can and will be used against you.
You have to supply a valid driver’s license, rergistration and proof of insurance.
Are we sure this is going to fly in Kristi Country? Won’t this make a student feel anxiety, become upset? I thought the reason we were getting away from CRT, etc, was so a student would always feel good about themselves, and now they have to deal with the police?? LOL! (BTW, I think it is a good idea. I helped train new officers on traffic traffic stop procedures for 10 years. Would be enlightening for the student to understand the officer’s prospective.)
I think this is a great idea.
Great thoughts and actions! As usual, what comes out of an ambitious politician’s brain or train of thought, never seems to benefit society as someone’s desire to be as useful to the rest of society without regards to personnel payback.
Black Privilege is never having to look for a clerk in a store to answer your questions. There’s always one within three feet. Always a clerk or owner right behind you from the moment you enter; to ensure your informed shopping experience. And, there’s always another clerk passing perpendicular up ahead giving you the “side eye glance” just to be there in case you need them. Being black in South Dakota is just great!
*Also, black privilege in South Dakota is always keeping your hands exposed even if it 30 below zero. You never have to be slow to wave to that white woman who’s crossed the street ahead of your meeting on the sidewalk.
It’s good to know your rights. Whether the arresting officer is aware of your rights is another matter.
Stop protocol should be in all driver ed courses. Hands on the wheel at ten and two. No quick movements (v hard for teens). Wait. Do not rush for your driver license, registration, insurance – wait until its asked for.
Coast and signal to a well-lit, and publicly visible spot. (Some cops will denigrate your safety decisions. Ignore such carping. The LEA knows what you’re doing and why, merely expressing dominance.) It need not be a perfect spot, just safer than a dark, boxed in spot – for your safety and that of passing cars. There is no requirement to IMMEDIATELY stop; yet, do not coast for unreasonable tenths of miles. A few feet or hundreds should be sufficient.
Be courteous. LEAs have a tough job and often deal with good folks at their worst behavior, or bad folks at their worst behavior. Be courteous, while protecting your rights. Courtesy goes a long way. Do not pretend to tell LEAs that you “know your rights” – trust me, you don’t, just be courteous and say as little as feasible. You do not owe the LEA a rendition of how fast you thought you were going, where you were going, where you came from, or how much you had to drink and when (all confessional information).
Lastly, its South Dakota. We hunt. If stopped while transporting firearms . . . consider a version of rolling down your window and holding out your hands, then immediately telling the LEA for his/her safety and yours that you are transporting firearms. Alternatively, s l o w l y with hands well visible, get out and put your hands on the roof of the vehicle while telling the LEA you have firearms in the vehicle. Non-game wardens can freakout stopping a citizen with firearms. Courteously, calmly de-escalate the situation.