Newport Beach schools consider e-bike ban for students

The Newport-Mesa Unified School District is considering a proposal to ban students from riding e-bikes due to safety concerns. 

The potential ban would affect all district kids except for high school students. Trustee Andrea McElroy supported the move while speaking about bike safety at a special Board of Education meeting last December. She said Kindergarten to sixth graders will be banned. Seventh graders and older will also be banned, but parents can sign paperwork to allow their kids to use e-bikes. 

"I know there's people coming from Costa Mesa, going to Newport schools, vice versa," McElroy said. "They need it, but they have to take full responsibility for the child and it doesn't fall on the school."

The latest statistics from Costa Mesa showed that of the 126 bicycle accidents in 2025, 55, which is about 44%, were the fault of e-bike riders. Newport Beach has a new e-bike ordinance that imposes fines or possible impounding of e-bikes if the rules aren't followed.

Motor officer Zach Varela said the safest route to school for students on e-bikes is the one where a parent is riding alongside them. 

"I think it comes back not only to the parents' obligation to teach their children how to ride their bike safely but also the law enforcement component," Varela said. "To make sure that we are getting out to schools and educating the kids."

Before Tuesday's meeting, Newport-Mesa Unified said in a statement that its "focus remains on ensuring that any approach prioritizes student safety while supporting healthy transportation options for families."