Orange County Schools Set to Ban E-Bikes on Campuses
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- Orange County School Board is widely expected to approve a policy banning e-bikes and e-scooters from elementary and middle school campuses beginning with the 2026-27 school year, while high schoolers would still be permitted to ride if they hold a driver's license.
- The district pointed to rising injury rates, dangerous riding behavior around campuses, and the death of 13-year-old Ashley LaChance's son, who was struck by a pickup truck while riding an e-scooter to buy Mother's Day flowers.
- An Orlando father told the Orlando Sentinel that four of his children rely on e-scooters to travel to three different schools; they live within two miles of campus (disqualifying them from bus service) and both parents work full-time.
- Osceola County, a neighboring district, is taking the opposite approach by partnering with its sheriff's office to offer e-bike safety classes, while local governments weigh helmet requirements, lower speeds near pedestrians, and stronger traffic-law enforcement.
- Orlando-area emergency rooms report that visits involving e-bike and e-scooter injuries have risen sharply in recent years, particularly among children aged 10 to 14, with documented risky behaviors including riding without helmets, carrying multiple passengers, and modifying e-bikes for higher speeds.
Why it matters: For families living within two miles of campus who can't access bus service and have two working parents, removing e-scooters likely means more car trips — the very traffic pattern that produced the fatality the ban is trying to prevent. With ER visits from e-bike injuries rising sharply among kids aged 10 to 14, the Orange County vote forces districts nationwide to choose between treating micromobility as a regulated transportation tool or a hazard to be excluded from school grounds.
