PAOLA, Kan. — Parker McDonald turned 16 in March, with his two-year learner's permit about to expire.
"It was beginning to go into lockdown, hopefully I can get this driving test, but we found the day I was going to go, they canceled," McDonald told 41 Action News.
Parker starts a new job this week that isn't within walking distance from his home in Paola, and his family hasn't been able to connect with the motor vehicle office at the Kansas Department of Revenue, nor have they seen an updated website.
"It says they’re not doing driver's tests right now, and we’re not sure when they’re going to start," Parker's mother, Melissa McDonald, said. "We’ve called them repeatedly and gotten recordings or nobody ever answers."
41 Action News reached out to KDOR, and a spokesperson said permits and other expiring driver IDs are covered by Gov. Laura Kelly's executive order.
"That’s within the law and they’re okay there, but I know they're anxious to get their license and get out on their own when they can," said David Harper, director of the Kansas Division of Vehicles.
As for those driving tests, there still isn't a set date to resume them in Kansas as the department prepares new safety measures for its staff.
"Seat covers and kind of the jumpsuits that our staff can wear, because when you do the driver test you're in the customer's car, sitting in the front seat with them, so there's close proximity," Harper said.
As for the McDonalds, they just want to make sure it's a smooth transition for their 16-year-old driver.
"We want to make sure we follow the rules and laws and that he’s covered by insurance. We just wait," Melissa McDonald said.