Policies

POLICIES

 

CLASSROOM ATTENDANCE –

  • ABSENSES: If any hours are missed, those hours must be made up in a subsequent classroom session.
  • You have a maximum of 2 years from the start date to complete the program.
  • If you cancel your registration and do not attend the classroom, Ringer’s will hold your deposit for future use. No Refunds.

PARENT CLASS-

  • The parent class is required by the State. Students are not permitted to begin behind-the-wheel driving lessons until the parent class has been attended and verified.
  • A parent/guardian or any adult over 21 may represent the student at the parent class.
  • Attended parent class within 5 years = exempt. Provide evidence.

SCHEDULING DRIVING LESSONS –

  • PREREQUISITES: (1) Program fee has been paid in full. (2) JOL classroom and Parent class have been attended and verified. (3) Student has obtained a Massachusetts learner’s permit from the RMV.
  • PROCEDURE: TEXT ONLY 781-231-0337. Send a picture of your permit to the scheduling line after finishing your 30 hours of classroom. We will email you instructions to log into the online calendar. There is a one-time $10 fee the first time you sign in to schedule your own lessons online.
  • RINGER’S DRIVING LESSON AVAILABILITY: During School Year: Monday through Saturday 9am – 9:30pm plus some Sunday hours. During Summer: Monday – Saturday 9am – 8:30pm plus some Sunday hours.

ROAD LESSON SERVICE AREA

  • SAUGUS, WAKEFIELD, MELROSE, LYNN, MALDEN, REVERE. Driving lessons will begin and end at the student’s home or other location within the service area. Or, students may begin and end driving lessons at Ringer’s Saugus location. Do not purchase this package if you live outside of our service area unless you commit to meeting the driving instructor at our Saugus location to begin and end your lessons. If you have questions, please phone the office before making your purchase (781) 233-3664. No Refunds.

CANCELLING DRIVING LESSONS

  • You may cancel a driving lesson for any reason. Please give as much notice as possible, A MINIMUM OF 24 HOURS NOTICE IS REQUIRED (including, but not limited to cancelling 1 hour of a 2 hour lesson.)
  • No fee to cancel when sick. A 7-day rescheduling ban will be imposed (incubation period).
  • Text the scheduling line to cancel: (781) 231-0337
  • No Refunds.

CHANGING PICK-UP OR DROP-OFF LOCATION

  • The pick-up/drop-off address is required at the time of booking, so we can keep our instructors’ shifts in as small a geographical area as possible. While we always have management on duty during road lesson hours, we cannot ensure office staff will be manning the scheduling line, so changes to pick-up and drop-off locations must be requested a FULL 24 HOURS in advance.

REFUND POLICY

  • No Refunds

FEES

  • Ringer’s tries to prevent students from incurring fees. An automated computer-generated reminders are texted and emailed before each lesson to give students a guided opportunity to cancel 24 hours in advance. Students are not required to wait for the reminder to cancel. Students are encouraged to cancel early, before the reminder if possible.
  • A $50 fee will be assessed for EACH HOUR cancelled w/less than 24hrs. notice. This means if you cancel a two-hour lesson, the fee will be $100.

 

BEHAVIOR *SEE BELOW FOR EXPANDED BULLYING AND REPORTING POLICY

STUDENT:

  • Students are required by the State to get 40 hours of driving practice time, in addition to and separate from the 12 hours of driving school instruction.
  • If a student signs the attendance sheet at the beginning of a class, then disappears/leaves/ditches class, the student will be required to make up the entire period in question during a subsequent classroom session. You have 2 years from your program start date to complete. A certificate of completion will not be issued until all hours in question have been made up.
  • No violence, defiance or disruptive behavior (including but not limited to threats, cursing/yelling, inflammatory statements directed toward any Ringer’s student or employee) will be tolerated. After one warning a parent will be contacted. If the behavior persists, the student will be expelled. No refunds.

PARENTS/GUARDIAN/PERSON RESPONSIBLE FOR PAYMENT (must be 21 years of age or older):

  • The parent/guardian/representative is required by the State to provide 40 hours of driving practice time in addition to and separate from the 12 hours of driving school instruction.
  • No violence, threats, cursing/yelling inflammatory statements directed toward any Ringer’s employee will be tolerated. After one warning, if the behavior persists, Ringer’s Auto School will no longer provide any services to the minor student. No refunds.

CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION

  • Students will NOT be issued a Driver’s Education Certificate of Completion until all program requirements have been met and costs/fees have been paid in full.
  • It takes 7 business days after the final driving lesson/program requirement/payment for the certificate of completion to appear on the registry’s database. It is digital. There is no paper copy.
  • Students under the age of 18 are NOT eligible to obtain a road test appointment until their certificate of completion is on file in the RMV database.

UPDATED/REVISED BULLYING AND REPORTING POLICY

Effective 12/19/22/22

 

RINGER’S RESERVES THE RIGHT TO STATION ADDITIONAL SECURITY MEASURES IN THE CLASSROOMS AND VEHICLES INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO:

Additional, supplemental personnel (extra adults in the vicinity to supervise/surveil)

Cameras/video taping recording devices.

 

 

INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR WARRANTING IMMEDIATE EXPULSION

Each incident will be evaluated at the discretion of the driving school employee in the nearest vicinity of the

threat of violence rising to the level of being considered an no-warning-required-expellable offense, including but not limited to:

“I will punch you/your face”

“Meet me outside”

“I will f**ck you up”

“I’ll get you back when you’re/they’re/no one’s looking”

Physically initiating an unwanted/unwelcome touch on/to another person on or near the driving school offices, classroom or vehicles.

 

REPORTING REQUIREMENT

The following is not all inclusive, it is an overall guideline and subject to the discretion of the driving school employee supervising the student(s) at the time of the incident/report of the incident.

              DIRECTED AT/TO YOU (YOU ARE THE VICTIM)

  • If someone in or near the driving school office, classroom or vehicle verbally or physically threatens you with physical or cyber violence, touches you with an unwelcome/uninvited touch, throws an object/objects/liquid/beverage or any other airborne item at you, you must report it as soon as possible to the nearest driving school employee. If possible, video the offense on your phone or device.
    1. DO NOT allow the offense, irritation, bother, pester, annoyance, rudeness escalate to the point that you (the victim) retaliates.
    2. All violence/threats of violence will be met with the consequence of expulsion, whether perpetrated by the instigator or retaliator.

DIRECTED AT/TO SOMEONE ELSE (YOU ARE A WITNESS)

  • If someone exhibits unwelcome behavior that does not meet the threshold of violence, for example; bothers, annoys, is rude, is condescending to you or another person, you must report it to the nearest driving school employee as soon as possible.
    1. The driving school employee can respond/ increase surveillance, discipline, warn the offender if the driving school employee is aware of the offense.
      1. The driving school recognizes that witnesses may hesitate to openly report abuses. If you are a witness and if you do not feel comfortable reporting the offence verbally in front of peers. If you are a witness, you may submit your statement to the nearest driving school employee by email at ringersautoschool@gmail.com, on a written or typewritten note on paper or by text to the scheduling line at 781-231-0337. If possible, video the offense on your phone or device.
      2. If the driving school employee supervising the student at the time of the alleged offence does not see or hear the offence, and/or the offence is not documented/reported by a witness in a timely fashion, the disciplinary consequences available to the driving school employee are limited.

If the accused perpetrator is determined by the driving school employee, they will be issued a warning. If the non-violent irritating, offensive, annoying, bothersome, rude behavior persists, the perpetrator may expel the student.

 

OFFENSES THAT RISE TO THE LEVEL OF EXPULSION AND CALLING THE POLICE TO FILE AN INCIDENT REPORT:

The offenses that rise past simple expulsion to also include filing a police report/calling the police to the scene, include, but are not limited to:

  • Refusing to leave the premises after being asked to leave by the driving school employee.
  • Continuing to threaten anyone on or near the classrooms, office and or vehicle after being asked to leave.
  • Our intention is to resolve these issues, if they arise, without escalating and without the police. Therefore, please help us by reporting early.

 

DOCUMENTED MENTAL HEALTH CONDITION

  • If a parent or student has a documented medical or mental health condition that, when triggered, results in a violent outburst, the student and/or parent with the condition is required to report it to the driving school BEFORE classroom attendance and BEFORE behind the wheel driving lessons in the driving school vehicle with a certified driving instructor.
  • How to report: provide the driving school with a doctor’s note attesting to the condition.
  • When to report: As soon as you register and no later than the first day of class.
  • Unfortunately, if the diagnosis is made after a violent response, outburst, retaliation, incident, event on or near the driving school office/classroom/vehicle, and the condition is cited as a reason/excuse for the violent outburst, these will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.