ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Students across Orange County Public Schools woke up earlier, dug out old bikes, and in some cases walked to school on Tuesday as the district’s new e-bike and e-scooter ban officially took effect.
Under the new rules, elementary and middle school students caught with e-bikes or e-scooters on campus will have the devices confiscated. High schoolers can still ride in, but they need a school-issued parking decal along with a driver’s license or learner’s permit.
The district says the discipline builds gradually. A first violation gets a warning and a phone call home. Repeated offenses can lead to detention or in-school suspension.
Eyewitness News spoke with several students walking, biking, and scootering to campus Tuesday morning. Some said they hadn’t even heard about the new rule.
For 10th grader Preston Truxon, it meant trading in his e-bike for an old-school one and he’s not happy about the switch.
“The old bikes are like kind of slower, and like when I have to get to school, like I think they’re pretty much faster because it’s already pretty late,” Truxon said.
Truxon argues the district should make an exception for older students who are already old enough to drive.
“If you’re a high schooler and you have a permit and you should drive a car, then you should be able to drive an e-bike that goes like 30 miles per hour,” he said.
Freshman Matias Patarroyo used to ride his scooter to school. Tuesday, he walked.
“I heard that there’s like a new law that you can’t bring because you need like a learner’s permit or like a driver’s license. So now I have to like walk,” Patarroyo said.
Patarroyo said most of the students he sees still riding are sophomores who already have a permit, something he says he’s still a year away from getting.
“Yeah, I have to wait one year,” he said.
School board members have said safety is behind the new policy, pointing to 41 injury incidents reported between December and May. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office has also been separately cracking down on reckless riding, with plans for a countywide speed limit and a system to notify parents of violations.
For now, students say it’s an adjustment. It means earlier mornings, longer walks, and for some, a long wait until they’re old enough to ride again.
Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
©2026 Cox Media Group
