BEND, OR -- After the legislature failed to impose stronger rules for electric bikes in the 2024 session, a local school district will crack down on underage riders after Spring Break. "Any student under the age of 16 will not be allowed to bring an e-bike or e-scooter to any Bend-La Pine Schools campus," says Pacific Crest Middle School Principal Sean Keating, "And that just puts our school district in line with state law around e-bikes and e-scooters."

Keating tells KBND News, "We’ve seen some - let’s just say - unsafe behavior from students. And so we felt the time was right, and we felt there was a great need for this new rule." His school has no students over 16 and there are days when 40 electric devices are parked out front. "We’ve seen students piling on the bike, two or three students at a time. A lot of students not wearing helmets, riding on sidewalks, not obeying traffic laws, going through intersections. We’ve had many complaints from neighbors and also district bus drivers." And, he says, injuries are on the rise, "We had students at school get into crashes. We had a student this year who had staples in his head because he was hit by another student on an e-bike. And we’ve seen more and more of these incidents." Last summer, a 15-year-old student at Mountain View High School died in an e-bike crash.  

While the new rule begins April first, the first week will be spent educating and reminding students. Starting April 8th, violators will get one warning, "And if again that happens for a second time, then we’ll hold the bike for the student and we’ll release the e-bike or e-scooter to the parent directly."

Keating says, so far, parents have been supportive, "They’re seeing this too. They’re seeing the unsafe behavior out in the community; kids on e-bikes just zipping through parks, past younger children who are playing." He adds, "There are probably a few folks who might be a little frustrated, who have spent several thousand dollars on an e-bike. We have not heard from them yet."

To hear our full conversation with Principal Keating about e-bikes and e-scooters, visit our Podcast Page.