Drug Offender Education Program

15 Hours

$85

Effective September 1st, 2021 the Drug Offender Education Program will be permanently available online.

Online certificates issued by a licensed program are now accepted by DPS.

Two senate bills, SB 181 and SB 1480, were recently passed to permanently allow the delivery of the Drug Offender Education program in an online format.

Alamo City Education Services will no longer be offering in-person classes.

We will be updating our website to reflect the relevant laws that become effective September 1st, 2021.

Click the button below to check out our dedicated website for the Drug Offender Education Class in San Antonio.

Individuals who are convicted of a drug or controlled substance offense:

Will have their driver license suspended for 180 days, and are required to complete a 15-hour class in an authorized Drug Offender Education Program for each conviction.  
Online courses will now be accepted by Texas DPS for this requirement. The passage of SB 181 and SB 1480 have made online courses permanently acceptable.

Failure to complete the required 15-hour class for each conviction will result in a revocation of the individual’s driver license beyond the original 180-day suspension. A revocation will remain on the individual’s driver license until DPS receives a certificate of completion and the individual pays an additional administrative fee for failure to complete the program as required.

Individuals who do not have a driver license at the time of the offense will be denied the issuance of a driver license for 180 days. The 180 days for the denial of issuance, also known as an Order of Prohibition, starts when the individual contacts the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) inquiring about a driver license. Forms are not available online but may be obtained at any driver license office or by calling the DPS Customer Contact Center at (512) 424-2600.


Do you need to take the Drug Offender Education Program to reinstate your license? Click the "Check Driver License Eligibility" button to go to the DPS License Eligibility website and confirm the necessary requirements for the reinstatement of your license.


Have more questions about DPS requirements for the Drug Offender Education Program?  Click the "Drug or Controlled Substances Offenses" link to go to the DPS website for more information on the subject.


Payment Plans

If unable to pay in full on or before the first class day, payment plans are available. Payment Plan Fee: $10.  Total $95.  The entire payment must be made, including the additional payment plan fee, before your certificate of completion will be released. We accept credit/debit cards. No checks.


What Do I Bring?

Bring a pen and your case number.  If your case is still open, bring the contact information for your attorney; email address is preferable.  If you are on probation, we will need the name and email address/fax number of your probation officer. If you require that a copy of your certificate of completion be sent to another party, such as an out of state DPS office, or a SAP agent, you will need to bring their contact information, preferably an email address/fax number.

It's only 15 hours - Can't I take this class somewhere else over the span of 1 or 2 days? 

No. The State of Texas requires that the Drug Offender Education Program provide 15 hours of instruction, with a maximum of 3 hours of instruction per day.  This equates to a minimum of 5-days.  There are no TDLR-approved courses with a more condensed timeline. 


How does my completion of the course get reported?  

If your course completion is only being reported to DPS, you are responsible for notifying Texas DPS and sending the agency a copy of your certificate.  The contact information for Texas DPS is located at the bottom of this page. If your case is still pending, or needs to be sent to a probation officer or outside agency, we will send a copy of your completion to the indicated parties as a courtesy. In order for us to do so, you must provide us with the up-to-date contact information of these parties, preferably an email address or fax number.  If you are on probation, you must provide us with the name of your probation officer.

Do you have access to my court records?  

No. We are a for-profit privately owned business that is certified by the State of Texas Department of Licensing & Regulation to offer Offender Education courses.  We are not privileged to your case, court records, or probation information.  You are responsible for informing us of your case number, probation officer, attorney, or any other third-party that needs to be notified of your course completion.  You are also responsible for knowing the details of your case; which agency your certificate needs to be sent to, and which agency is mandating that you take this course.


I don't have childcare.  Do you allow kids in the classroom?  

No. We do not allow children to attend the courses and children are not permitted to be unaccompanied in the reception area.  If you are unable to find childcare, please let us know and we will move your course registration to the next available week.

Minors 16 years of age and above may attend the class without parental authorization.


Absence Policy

Absences are not permitted.  If you miss a class session, you must re-take the course from the beginning. There are no "make-up" sessions. This is not just our policy, this is a regulation issued by the State of Texas Department of Licensing & Regulation. If it is necessary for you to retake the course, you will be required to pay the $85 course fee again.


Cell Phone Policy

Cell phone use is not permitted in the classroom during periods of instruction.  You may use your cell phone before and after class, and during designated class breaks.  The use of your cell phone during periods of instruction is grounds for dismissal from the course.  You will be required to re-take the course and pay a $15 Incompletion Fee.


Certificates

You will receive a certificate within 10 business days of completion of the course.  You will be provided with a Participant Copy for your own records and a DPS/Court Copy.  You are responsible for sending your DPS/Court Copy to DPS in order to reinstate your license.  We will provide you with a form with instructions on how to do this. If an email address is provided, we will also email you a scanned copy of your certificate for your records.

Replacement Certificates

The fee for duplicate certificates, in the event that your original certificate has been lost, is $10.


Our program is approved by the State of Texas and meets the requirements as defined below.

Section 521.371-521.377, Texas Transportation Code (formerly Article 6687b, Section 24B, Texas Civil Statutes) states that persons convicted of misdemeanor or felony drug offenses will automatically have their licenses suspended for a period of six months. In order to have their license reinstated, they must attend and successfully complete an education program on the dangers of drug abuse approved by the department.

Failure to complete the program will result in the license being revoked indefinitely until the education program is completed.

The standardized program is 15 hours in length and is designed to: increase the knowledge of drug offenders by educating them on the dangers of drug abuse and associated illegal activities, to identify their own individual drug-use patterns, and to assist them in developing a personal action plan which will reduce the probability of suffering the consequences of future drug using and illegal behavior.

Specific course topics include: history of drug abuse, drug and DWI laws, dynamics of drug use, drugs of abuse, how drugs work, cost of use and abuse, health issues, HIV, interpersonal relationships, de-glamorization of drugs, values and behaviors, past and desired behaviors, getting control of your life, resource options, and personal action planning. 


DPS Mailing Address, Fax Number and Email Information

Required documents can be submitted by mail, fax or email. All documents submitted by email must be in PDF format. Individuals must write their name, date of birth and driver license number on all documents so their record can be properly identified.

Mailing Address:

Texas Department of Public Safety
Enforcement and Compliance Service
P.O. Box 4087
Austin, TX 78773-0320

Fax Number: 512-424-2848

Email:  driver.improvement@dps.texas.gov


If you have questions regarding your driver license contact the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) customer service Monday -Friday 7:30am – 6:00pm.

For English call: (512) 424-2600
For Spanish call: (512) 424-7181

People use drugs, legal and illegal, because their lives are intolerably painful or dull. They hate their work and find no rest in their leisure. They are estranged from their families and their neighbors. It should tell us something that in healthy societies drug use is celebrative, convivial, and occasional, whereas among us it is lonely, shameful, and addictive. We need drugs, apparently, because we have lost each other.
— Wendell Berry, The Art of the Commonplace: The Agrarian Essays