After Collisions, Nantucket Schools Ban E-Bikes For Two Weeks

Following two recent collisions involving students riding e-bikes, the Nantucket Public Schools have announced a two-week ban on e-bikes on its campus.

Superintendent Beth Hallett announced the ban late last week, and described the collisions as incidents in which students riding e-bikes caused injuries to two staff members are colliding with them on school grounds. Hallett said there had been an increase in "dangerous behavior" on the part of students operating e-bikes, prompting the two-week ban.

"This means that if students are caught riding their bikes anywhere on campus, the battery from their bicycle will be confiscated, and a parent will be required to pick up the battery from their child's school," Hallett wrote in a letter to the school community. "Just this week, there have been two incidents where students riding e-bikes have collided with staff members, resulting in injury. We have also seen more children who have been hurt from falls from their electric bike."

The move comes just over a year after Hallett announced a crackdown on e-bike usage at the public school campus, noting similar "dangerous behavior" in the fall of 2021.

While the popularity of e-bikes has surged in recent years, especially on Nantucket, the problems associated with them - including reckless operation and even fires caused by their batteries - have prompted school districts and other organizations to institute restrictions and/or bans.

Under Massachusetts law, children under the age of 16 are prohibited operate electric bikes and, and those old enough to ride one are required to wear a helmet.

"The safety of our students and staff is of the utmost importance," Hallett concluded in her message.