New rules for middle school and elementary students who ride motorized bikes and scooters are in force this year in the Blue Valley School District — a move administrators hope will put a lid on collisions and injuries from mishaps with the ever-more-popular vehicles.
District officials have laid out their safe driving expectations in a permit that must be signed by parents. The school then issues a sticker with an identifying number to be affixed to the bike or scooter. There is no charge for the permit.
Students must power off on school property
According to the district’s rules, riders must get off and walk their devices with the motor turned off once they reach school property.
They may not ride on Blue Valley playgrounds, tracks or playing fields. The permit also notes that riders may be held responsible for injuries or damage the vehicles cause to school property.
The power-off rule was already in effect before the permit requirement but administrators wanted to stress it again for students and parents, said Shelly Nielsen, executive director of school administration. She said it was important to get parents informed and involved in the issue.
So far, families have reacted positively to the change, said Dan Carney, executive director of safety and security for the district.
About 1,000 permit stickers have been issued, which he sees as a good sign of cooperation.
Collision left teacher with broken bone
Use of the popular battery-powered vehicles seems to be more common among school children the past couple of years, at least anecdotally, officials said.
There have been a few incidents, including a collision with a teacher helping with dismissal traffic that resulted in the teacher’s broken elbow.
There was also disruptions when e-vehicles were driven onto an elementary school playground and a soccer field while players were on it, Carney said.
Other injuries from such things as falls may have happened, as well.
“We don’t know how many injuries there have been because we think a lot have not been reported,” Carney said. “We’ve just had several that have been concerning.”
But it isn’t hard to imagine more serious things that could go wrong when tweens weave in and out of traffic or parking lots on vehicles that can go as fast as 20 mph, he said. Modifications can allow them to go even faster, he said.
“You put that kind of power with a middle school aged student as the operator interacting with cars, trucks and so on, on the road, and that’s a pretty dangerous recipe,” Carney said. “I am worried that eventually there may be a terrible accident involving one of these.”
The bikes and scooters can also damage wet playing fields and synthetic turfs when a rider revs and spins on them, Carney said. That kind of vandalism has happened and it’s costly, he said.
The identifying number may help find anyone who vandalizes school property in that way after school hours, Nielsen added.
Permits are not required for traditional bikes
The motorized vehicles have been an issue mainly at middle schools but not so much at high schools, Carney said, because most high school students are more interested in driving cars.
The permit requirement, then, only applies to elementary and middle schools.
The get-off-and-walk rule applies to standard bikes as well as e-vehicles. But because non-motorized bicycles can’t produce the power and speed of battery powered ones, there is no permit requirement for them. In fact, school officials encourage riding or walking to school without pedal assistance.
“It’s a really healthy decision to walk or ride (non-motorized) bikes,” Nielsen said, noting a lot of elementary schools are nestled in neighborhoods where walking to school is a nice benefit.
“I would just encourage kids to ride bikes,” Carney added. “That’s how you’re going to stay strong and healthy. It’s such a good practice.”
Some places are locking down on e-bikes and e-scooters
Multiple cities and shopping centers in Johnson County have adopted new rules to address children’s safety around e-bikes and e-scooters. Check out some of our past coverage below.
- ‘Deeply concerned’ for children’s safety, Fairway cracks down on e-bikes but spares scooters
- More Johnson County shopping centers ban kids from riding e-bikes and scooters
- Prairie Village shopping centers ban e-bikes and e-scooters
- ‘Parents: Pay attention, please’ — Prairie Village may restrict e-scooters and e-bikes
