NATION : No Driving for Dropouts, Judge Says

CHARLESTON, W.Va. —  A judge today upheld a West Virginia law that allows the state to revoke the driver’s licenses of school dropouts, a law used as a model for pending federal legislation.

Kanawha County Circuit Judge Paul Zakaib said the law is based on the state’s interest in keeping teen-agers in school, “is not unreasonable and withstands any constitutional challenge.”

The case involved an appeal filed by Michael Means, 17, of Charleston, who lost his license after he dropped out of junior high one month after his 16th birthday. Means, whose 16-year-old wife is expecting their first child this month, says he cannot get a job to support his family without driving privileges.