Orange Schools Ban E-Bikes and E-Scooters Unless Students have Driver's License or Permit
The change voted on this week prompted pushback from parents who say their students rely on the devices. Winter Park is drafting its own ordinance related to electric bikes and scooters.
July 29, 2026
By Gabrielle Russon
Two weeks before the new school year starts, the Orange County School Board voted Tuesday to ban kids from riding e-bikes and e-scooters unless they have learner’s permits or driver’s licenses.
The school board’s unanimous vote Tuesday came after a divided debate where school board members insisted the new rules are necessary to stop the rising number of crashes and protect children. Meanwhile, some parents and students argued the board is overstepping its bounds with a new policy that will make it harder for kids to get to school.
“This is one of the hardest decisions to make, and I think because there are so many strong compelling arguments on both sides,” school board chair Teresa Jacobs said.
Critics called the policy rushed since the first day of school is Aug. 11, giving families little time to prepare.
“I’m here to ask you to slow down before making a decision that could have unintended consequences for many families. Micromobility devices are a vital form of transportation for many students,” said parent Heather Grimmer who lives in Avalon Park. “We all want to protect our children, but protecting them doesn’t mean always taking something away.”
School board member Stephanie Vanos, who represents Winter Park schools, argued the school board held four public meetings over the last year on the issue ahead of Tuesday’s vote.
“This has been a thoughtful and deliberate process,” Vanos said. “I would be surprised if anybody on this board actually wants to ban micromobility devices. I don’t think anybody does.”
But Vanos contended the district is “forced into this” because state and local cities and Orange County haven’t taken action to regulate the devices.
“The reality is we’re here now and school is starting and there’s nothing in place,” Vanos said.
For school board member Maria Salamanca, the ban will stop elementary and middle schoolers who are too young to drive from having to make split-second decisions on the road when a mistake can lead to a tragedy.
“I cannot in good conscience vote to encourage these devices in our campus,” said Salamanca, who represents Lake Nona schools where a 13-year-old boy was killed after an e-scooter crash on Mother’s Day. “It’s really dangerous.”
E-bikes and e-scooters are a growing concern throughout Winter Park and Orange County. The city of Winter Park is in the process of creating its own ordinance to crack down on reckless riders.
Tuesday’s meeting shows the challenge of regulating the popular devices. Nearly 12,000 OCPS students regularly went to school on e-scooters or e-bikes, according to a district survey in December. About 42% of those students were in middle school, 32% in high school and 26% in elementary school, the survey found.
Nate Clark’s four kids are among those depending on e-scooters since they live too far to walk and too close to catch a bus to Baldwin Park Elementary or Glenridge Middle School, both not far from Winter Park.
“If this passes tonight, I don’t know how they’re getting to school on Aug. 11,” Clark told the school board.
The ban is “unnecessary” and “unfair,” he said, arguing state law treats e-bikes or e-scooters as bicycles — not cars. Why is the district treating them differently?
Other parents urged the school district to focus on teaching safety rules, improving infrastructure or enforcing helmet rules instead of banning them outright from elementary and middle schoolers.
“Let the kids scoot,” said Mike Bustillos, a former teacher who advocates for a more walkable community. “We shouldn’t be removing freedom and mobility options from kids in order to make things more comfortable for cars. Kids today have precious little freedom to roam the way that I did when I was a kid.”
School board members pushed back on the criticism. Before e-scooters and e-bikes existed, working parents found ways to get their kids to school, said school board member Melissa Byrd.
“I do not believe that taking away e-bikes and e-scooters is going to cause students to not be able to get to school,” she said.
Superintendent Maria Vazquez said she supports phasing in the ban for the first month of school to get families time to figure out other transportation options.
Vazquez and school board members also expressed a willingness to revisit the ban later this year.
“I am going to vote in favor of this policy now with the hopes that our counties and cities are going to come up with some great policies and rules and we can go back and revisit this and change it,” Vanos said. “Hopefully that will happen soon.”
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Let’s also not forget the safety of innocent pedestrians who could get struck by an e-bike. Because kinetic energy scales exponentially with speed, an e-bike collision can deliver nearly 4x the kinetic energy of a standard bicycle. That delivers an impact to an unsuspecting pedestrian equivalent to being struck by a low-speed compact car—drastically increasing the likelihood of severe femur fractures, pelvic injuries, internal bleeding, and traumatic brain injury leading to potential death.
How did kids get to school for generations before e-bikes? They rode traditional bicycles, walked, or relied on parental drop-offs and buses. Given that our neighborhood is relatively flat, traditional bike riding is completely doable. We don’t need to sacrifice pedestrian safety for unnecessary motorization.”
I support the ban with the requirement for driver’s license or permit. This is great news. These things are so dangerous and most of the kids using them do not possess the degree of judgment or life experience to know how not to endanger themselves or others. Is there truly a sensible alternative to requiring some qualifications before kids can use them? We will see what municipalities come up with. But serious injuries or death are so, so permanent.
Public safety should always be paramount. The rise in kids flying down the roads and sidewalks is alarming. Everyone I know has expressed concern about children using these devices. In addition, it is not just about the kids. As drivers, nobody wants to carry the awful burden of having struck a child even if it was not their fault. I applaud the OC School Board for taking a stand in the interest of public safety.
What on earth is the matter with kids riding old fashioned “manual” bikes – kids have been getting to school on these for over 100 years. The idea of elementary age children riding mortorized vehicles is more than scary! And parents allowing these young kids to ride them is even more scary!
All motorized vehicles should be licensed, just like cars – kids get a learners permit, take a test, then get a license.
I believe this decision only applies to students going to school. Outside of school they can e-bike all they want. Please tell me if I’m wrong. We went to school a mile away on bicycles. It’s a great exercise too!
Yes, the Orange County School Board can only enforce the ban on its own campuses. So this affects students arriving to and leaving from school. Winter Park is working on an ordinance that would impact other areas of the city if it’s adopted.