OCPS trustees weigh helmet rules, permits and bans after staff study of e-bikes and e-scooters

Orange County Public Schools trustees spent a lengthy work‑session discussion weighing how to respond to a surge in student use of electric scooters and e‑bikes, after staff told the Board that ‘‘approximately almost 12,000 students across the district ride bikes or scooters to school.’’

Superintendent Dr. Vasquez and Joe Silvestri, senior director for Safety and Emergency Management, presented results of a November principal survey that found 23% of schools do not require students to walk devices on campus and, among schools that do have that rule, about half have no enforcement system. Silvestri also reviewed other Florida districts’ approaches and recent local ordinances, and recommended steps including online student training, device registration with parental acknowledgment and permit stickers, adding a walk‑your‑device requirement in the student code of conduct, signage, and removing Class 3 micro‑mobility devices and e‑motorcycles from campuses.

Why it matters: Board…