Newport‑Mesa board adopts e‑bike policy limiting e‑bikes on K‑8 campuses, tightens high‑school rules

The Newport‑Mesa Unified School District Board of Education voted May 21 to adopt a revised policy governing bicycles and electric bicycles, changing what students may bring to campus and how the district will manage safety and enforcement.

The policy, identified in meeting materials as draft BP 514204, bars K‑8 students from possessing or operating e‑bikes and e‑motos on school grounds, requires helmets and training where e‑bikes remain permitted, and directs staff to develop a companion exhibit and administrative regulation before the policy takes effect in the 2026‑27 school year. Trustees discussed staged rules for elementary, middle and high schools and removed a proposed parental "assumption of risk" form after trustees objected to adding extra barriers for students who bike.

"We're trying to focus on safety and what we can control on our campuses," Trustee Crane said during the discussion, noting ambulance responses and local hospital data that show increased e‑bike injuries. Several trustees and staff described consulting police department training programs and hospital trauma reports as they revised the proposal.

Public testimony before the vote ran more than an hour. Speakers included parents and students who urged the board to consider equity and transport needs for families that rely on e‑bikes to get children to school and jobs. "E‑bikes are a huge boon to families and kids to get around without a car," said Joselyn Perez, who described growing up in a low‑income household. Student speakers said a near‑total ban would force some students to give up after‑school activities and work.

Other speakers and trustees pressed the board to prioritize enforcement and city infrastructure over a campus ban. "Enforcement belongs with the police, it does not belong with you, the school board," said Moses Nolf, who recommended workshops and interagency coordination rather than broad prohibitions.

Trustees adjusted the policy during the meeting: they clarified the K‑8 prohibition language to ban both possession and operation of e‑bikes and e‑motos on school grounds; for high schools the board agreed students may bring certain classes of e‑bikes to campus but not operate them on site and must follow a permit/sticker process so staff can verify eligibility. The policy explicitly excludes e‑motos and motorcycles from permitted devices.

Board members also heard from staff that district transportation has capacity to serve students if families choose to use bus service; staff said they had reviewed routes and seats. Trustees directed staff to finish the accompanying exhibit (the parental acknowledgment or related operational forms) and an administrative regulation that will spell out enforcement, storage/parking and consequences for noncompliance.

The motion to adopt the amended policy passed on a roll‑call vote: six in favor, two opposed (Trustee Anderson and student board member Jeremy Lohr). Trustee Anderson said she remained concerned about equity for students who live far from campus and the lack of citywide safe‑routes infrastructure; the student board member voted no and asked that the board commit to monitoring the policy's effects.

The board said it will revisit implementation details and monitor injury and transportation data after the policy is in place. "Policies are living documents," Trustee Weigand said; staff will return with administrative regulations and the exhibit before the policy goes into effect.