ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – After hearing passionate arguments from parents and students on both sides of the issue, the Orange County School Board approved new regulations Tuesday night restricting which students can bring e-bikes and e-scooters to campus, citing growing safety concerns.
The policy, which takes effect this school year with a grace period for families to adjust, prohibits students without a driver’s license or learner’s permit from bringing e-bikes or e-scooters to school. District leaders said about 11,800 students regularly use the devices to travel to and from campus, with most of those riders attending middle school.
The vote followed hours of public comment, with many families arguing the restrictions would create transportation challenges.
“If this passes tonight, I don’t know how they are getting to school,” one parent told board members.
Others urged the board to approve the changes, saying safety should take priority.
“I support the policy generally,” another parent said. “There are other ways to get to school.”
One speaker simply pleaded, “Let the kids scoot.”
Even students weighed in. A seventh grader told the board that riding an e-bike has allowed them to get to school while both parents work full-time.
“With my parents having full-time jobs, this has allowed me to get to school on time,” the student said. “I don’t believe this is the best way to keep them safe.”
Board members said the regulations were prompted by a growing number of crashes involving the devices. District leaders reported 41 incidents involving e-bikes and e-scooters that resulted in injuries between December and May.
Board member Alicia Farrant said the district hopes the policy also encourages broader action beyond Orange County.
“I do believe it will let the state know this is a problem and we really do have to have some regulations and rules in place,” Farrant said.
Among those supporting the changes was Ashley LaChance, whose 13-year-old son, Colton Remsburg, was killed after the e-scooter he was riding was struck by a pickup truck in Lake Nona. While she said education remains important, LaChance told the board immediate action is necessary.
“Families need to understand while a temporary change might be uncomfortable, this permanent change is unbearable,” she said.
LaChance says, “We are starting a nonprofit organization called Helmet On, which is developing a smart helmet that uses innovative technology to improve safety and help break through the limits of traditional helmets."
While in the meeting, several parents argued the district should focus on traffic safety education instead of restricting access to e-bikes and e-scooters. Speakers called for students to receive instruction on responsible riding, helmet use and traffic laws.
Multiple board members responded that enforcing roadway safety cannot become another responsibility for educators.
“Asking our teachers to take up traffic enforcement sets them up to failure,” one board member said.
Another added, “We do not need to be the DMV.”
Some parents questioned whether the policy would improve safety, arguing students could simply park their e-bikes off campus and continue riding to school. Other board members said families successfully transported children to school long before e-bikes became commonplace.
“Families have been getting kids to school for years without e-bikes or e-scooters,” one board member said.
The district said the new regulations will be implemented for the upcoming school year, with a grace period intended to give families time to adjust.
The district’s regulations outline requirements for where the devices can be used and stored, along with additional expectations for student riders.